Wellness and Prevention

Wellness and prevention efforts, including changes in personal behavior such as diet and exercise, should be a top national priority.

Most people would rather prevent a disease than treat it. Unfortunately, that's not the way things currently work in health care.

We're paying bills - not promoting health

America's medical system is focused on treating disease rather than fostering health. One of the reasons is that our health care system is inefficient and counter-intuitive. Insurance companies pay hospitals, doctors, and drug companies when we get sick, but not when we stay healthy. Furthermore, it's hard for many of us to eat right, exercise, and do the other things we need to take care of ourselves.

The life expectancy of Americans lags behind other developed nations even though we're wealthier and spend more on health care. These problems not only increase health costs, but they pose barriers to working and contributing to society. As individuals and communities, we know we can do more to eat better, exercise regularly, get preventive care, and reduce our health risks. As a nation, we can do better on protecting public health and eliminating environmental risks. Research today on Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions provides hope for the future. Twenty-first century health care should mean getting the care that works best before we ever get sick.

Preventable diseases and conditions affect too many Americans

Lack of exercise and overeating, smoking and drinking too much, pose a growing threat to our nation's health. Americans of every age do not get enough exercise, and unhealthy eating habits increase the risks.

• More than half of all people 50+ have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or some other chronic condition.
• 66 percent of Americans were overweight or obese in 2004. Obesity is associated with significantly increased risk of adult-onset diabetes, hypertension, certain forms of cancer and osteoarthritis.
• Diabetes is on the rise, with an estimated 14.6 million Americans already diagnosed and another 6.2 million unaware they have the disease.
• The American Diabetes Association puts the financial toll of diabetes at $132 billion annually, a cost that is sure to soar if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are correct: The CDC expects one in three 5-year-olds in this country to become diabetic because they are overweight or obese.
• In New York City, the disease has already reached epidemic proportions and affects more than one in eight adults.

Too often people with persistent diseases get little or no care until a crisis lands them in costly emergency-room settings, hospitals, or nursing homes. In fact, these chronic patients, sometimes known in hospitals as "frequent flyers" - soak up a huge share of the nation's medical spending. Chronic patients make up only 5 percent of Medicare's beneficiaries, but they account for 43 percent of the program's cost.

Staying healthy and independent is a lifelong job

With more of us living longer, life itself has definitely become a marathon. If we want our lives to be not only longer but better, we have to keep to a steady, endurance-building jog for most of the race, with the ability to sprint when circumstances demand. The reason is simple: what we do in the short term can have a tremendous effect on the quality of our lives in the long run.

Despite new medical discoveries and technological breakthroughs, health problems cloud the future for many Americans. Our health and independence are precious commodities. Let's ensure they're protected through an emphasis on prevention and wellness.

Share Your Experience

Do you have an experience with our nation's leaders that will show them why we must put prevention into practice? We want to hear from you.