Prevention Saves Lives…and Billions of Dollars

It comes as no shock to me, and probably to you the reader, that U.S. health care costs are too high and the money our country spends on health care does not equal the highest quality of care or the healthiest of citizens. It will also come as no shock to you that I agree with Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, when he says that a small, strategic investment in effective, evidence-based preventive care is the way to save billions of dollars and prevent disease.

A new report by the Trust for America’s Health finds that, “investment of $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within five years. This is a return of $5.60 for every $1″ That includes:

• $5 billion+ in savings for Medicare
• $1.9 billion+ in savings for Medicaid
• $9 billion+ in savings for private payors

More information, and the full report, can be found here. If you have a chance to read it, post your thoughts here!

Sources:
“New Report: Investment in Disease Prevention Could Save America More than $16 Billion in Five Years” – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July 17, 2008
“Prevention for a Healthier America” – Trust for America’s Health, July, 2008