By U.S. Sen. Angus King
(I-Maine)
The soaring costs of health care in the United States are not only a heavy burden on millions of American families, they are also the primary drivers of our federal debt and deficit. As more and more Americans reach deeper into their pockets to pay for expensive medical procedures, we should fundamentally rethink how we provide health care and a great place to start is to promote the long-term economic benefits of preventive health care. Rather than paying for procedures, we should invest in keeping people healthy. It’s a winning combination for the American people and for our economy.
That’s why I am proud to have recently joined with Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) to introduce the Preventive Health Savings Act, legislation that would direct the Congressional Budget Office – the nonpartisan entity responsible for analyzing federal budget and economic issues for Congress – to more accurately reflect the cost-savings of preventive health care. By reforming the manner in which the Congressional Budget Office accounts for preventive health savings, Congress can work to make better long-term investments that reduce health care expenditures and improve health outcomes.
Let’s consider a few statistics for a moment: according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four health risk behaviors are responsible for much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic diseases: lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption.
More specifically, more than one-third of all adults do not meet recommendations for aerobic physical activity and 23 percent report no leisure-time physical activity at all in the preceding month. When it comes to good nutrition, a 2007 study reported that less than 22 percent of high school students and a dismal 24 percent of adults reported eating five or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
And more than 43 million adult Americans — or approximately one in five — smoke. Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer deaths, and cigarette smoking causes almost all cases. Compared to nonsmokers, men who smoke are about 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer and women who smoke are about 13 times more likely. Smoking causes about 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80 percent in women. Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption contributes to over 54 different diseases and injuries, including cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast, liver diseases, and other cardiovascular, neurological, psychiatric, and gastrointestinal health problems.
We spend far more as a nation on treating health issues related to these than we do on preventive health care, but if we can promote the benefits of addressing these four behaviors early — before they become health issues — then we can alter the trajectory of chronic disease as well as the health care costs associated with them.
The first step in doing so is to have the most accurate information on the cost savings of preventive health care, and that is the goal of our bipartisan bill. A narrow, scientific-based, and responsible approach to encouraging a sensible review of health care policy will make it easier for Congress to better invest in proven methods of saving lives and money. It just makes sense.
