$1.65 trillion, 75% of the total $2.2
trillion spent on healthcare, is spent on chronic and complex conditions.
Sources: Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
National Health Expenditure 2. Data for 2007.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. *
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. *
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emailRecent Comments About $1.65 Trillion
Too little, too late for my
Too little, too late for my husband.
By Keli : July 17, 7:38pm
Forget tobacco! Obesity is
Forget tobacco! Obesity is the national epidemic that we should be focused on. The health risks associated with overweight Americans are putting a...
By Kmom : July 20, 5:11am
With the price the Dr's
With the price the Dr's charge + the unnecessary tests they do for the $'s it add's to their pocket's. Then yes the Gov will need Trillions
By catherine : August 13, 1:59pm
Comments
Submitted by catherine : August 13, 5:59pm
With the price the Dr's charge + the unnecessary tests they do for the $'s it add's to their pocket's. Then yes the Gov will need Trillions
Submitted by Kmom : July 20, 9:11am
Forget tobacco! Obesity is the national epidemic that we should be focused on. The health risks associated with overweight Americans are putting a drain on our health care system. Schools have cut PE and our kids sit in front of computers, gaming systems and TV's, getting fatter and fatter ever year. This has led to increased health problems for America's youth, who in turn grow into unhealthy adults.
Submitted by Keli : July 17, 11:38pm
Too little, too late for my husband.
Submitted by Anonymous L : July 17, 3:03am
I have severe chronic major depressive disorder MDD. The meds I have to take have led me to bankruptcy and I cannot work enough due to the depression & fatigue because I cannot afford medications or health insurance. I am trying to find free medicine and enrolling in clinical trials; anything to survive. It's horrible to feel suicidal yet know I don't really want to die. It's the brain chemistry out of whack. This chronic illness, is so easily treatable if only it were affordable. I used to make money and used to have insurance. Now, have fallen through the cracks; does not any one understand Americans like me desperate for help.
Submitted by Trish G. : July 13, 4:39pm
You have to be 21 y/o to purchase beer, yet a 12 y/o can obtain Narcotics at any local pharmacy by calling in Script # from home or others (Granny just had hip replacement surgery) cabinet for a refill. Why take a couple tabs/caps. when they can get a 30 day supply. If not their drug of choice they sell for $10.00 per pill and then purchase street drugs. Change the law to 21 y/o for all Pharmacy pick-ups and Proof of Patient ID!!
Submitted by Your Name : July 6, 10:16am
this is incredible information.
Submitted by BTR R : July 4, 8:39pm
Want an honest answer, then ask an honest question. Of all of these chronic illnesses, how many are related to tobacco use? The majority of the ill effects of tobacco use are far reaching and go far beyond simply lung disease. Yet if we only look at lung disease, you will see the untold billions of dollars that are spent treating lung disease related to tobacco use. Add in all the other disease processes that exist due to tobacco and you have to ask yourself why do we continue to allow its use? The simple answer is TAX DOLLARS! The U.S. is a major exporter of tobacco and the revenues from those sales fuel the coffers of the US government in terms of tax dollars. How could the US government finally put an end to the availability of tobacco products in this country, which is killing untold millions and sending our healthcare expenditures through the roof, and still continue to export tobacco to the rest of the world? It just would not look right for a product to be banned here and still be sold to the rest of the world. Thus, in order to fuel the government, countless Americans are allowed to die unnecessarily, each and every year as a result of the use of tobacco. The tobacco companies want us to believe that it’s about our freedoms as Americans, but when you think about it, would we want our loved ones to become addicted to such an awful product. I would hope not. Imagine how easy it could be to fund healthcare for the country if we could simply stop having to treat chronic illness that results from tobacco use? Think about it....
Submitted by aullman u : July 4, 4:29pm
One option for bringing down the cost of prescription medication would be to allow drug manufacturers to keep patents longer if they agreed to sell their products at a lower cost when the drug first hits the market.
Drug companies argue that they have to sell their products at a high price to make up for the R&D cost. They only have a 7 year window to make cash-in before generics hit the market, so they sell their product at a very high price.
Drug companies should be offered the chance to hold patents longer if they agreed to lower prices.
This would result in more affordable drug costs, and more a more managable cost/profit model for drug manufacturers.
Submitted by Raùl O : July 1, 8:25am
The problem with the american Health-Care System is (as has been said so many times before)that it is thought of as an Industry and not as a service to the people. Ask the 45 or 50 million people without cov erage, what do they think about this problem.
I'm an american citizen living in Florence Italy. Before I came here (37 years ago) I had the idea that most americans have, that Socialism is bad, that it forbids free enterprise, that the government forbids private practice, that it's inefficient etc.etc. Nothing is so far from the truth. We have a lot of Health Insurance Co. that work in tandem with the national system. You can use one or the other or both and the specialists that work for the private companies also work for the government.
My experience with the italian Health-Care has been not only good but,I would dare say, excellent. I have been operated five times in the past 13 years ( Carpal Tunnel both hands,bilateral Hernia, Cataracts, Knee Replacement and therapy for one month in the hospital, Mielopatia ( I don't know the name in English) with another month of therapy in an institute). And I'm certain that if I had gone to the U.S. I probably would be bankrupt by now.
I don't understand why americans are so fixated with a system that benefits only the rich,the Insurance companies and the people who lobby for them. It is probably shell-shock for the so called "Cold War".
If you don't like Socialism why do you have Social Security pensions, Food Stamps, Medicare, Medicaid and so many other programs that that are socialistic but they have a different name.Call it what you want but give Health-Care to the people, all the people not just the priveleged ones.
No Insurance Company has ever gone bankrupt in Italy because of competiton with the public program. The american Health Insurance "Industry" should do like the old Army saying goes
" Shape Up or Ship Out"
Raul Oliver Sanchez
Submitted by robert c : June 28, 2:58am
in australia we have a good system.A system that unlike the U.S.looks after all people' the elderly,poor,all children.all peoples.Wake up U.S & look around,there is a big world outthere
Submitted by Anonymous C : June 15, 3:40pm
I think health literacy is a big part of the problem. Those who work in healthcare, like myself, have to empower patients with knowledge that enables them to manage their health. Research shows that people with lower health literacy tend to have chronic conditions they struggle to understand and manage.
Submitted by Janet F : June 15, 1:45pm
I think that doctors, clinics, and hospitals should be required to post the cost of all procedures, and this information should be required by law to be personally given to every patient (or representative) before they receive care.
Submitted by Tarun S : June 10, 11:49am
How many people suffer from chronic and complex conditions? It seems to me that 75% of the money is being spent on <20% of cases
Submitted by Kirk M : June 14, 2:45pm
Given an often cited statistic that 70% of healthcare costs are lifestyle related, it is easy to conclude that making better decisions regarding how we live such as what we eat and how much physical activity we get can make a significant impact on healthcare costs.