The new year demands a renewed focus on chronic diseases
To the Editor:
Chronic diseases already doom millions of Americans to disability and death. Left unchecked, they could bankrupt our healthcare system.
Yet throughout 2015, policy leaders largely ignored the rapidly mounting burden of chronic disease. With the new year bringing countless campaign events, voters have a prime opportunity to pressure officials and candidates to give chronic disease the attention it deserves.
Today, half of all Americans — some 145 million people — suffer from at least one chronic condition. Treating these diseases is hugely expensive. The annual tab for fighting cancer, for instance, totals $157 billion. The treatment costs for diabetes is over $170 billion.
Overall, out of every dollar spent on health care in this country, fully 86 cents are directed to treating chronic illnesses.
And the costs aren't confined to the health care sector. These conditions sap worker productivity and drive down economic growth. Arthritis, a chronic disease affecting 53 million adults, is the most common cause of physical disability in this country, denying office workers and blue collar professionals alike the ability to flourish in their jobs.
Of course, the most devastating costs of chronic conditions are denominated in lost years of life. Just two diseases — heart disease and cancer — account for nearly half of all deaths in this country.
And it's only going to get worse. Some 80 million Americans currently exhibit pre-diabetic symptoms and the total number of cancer cases is expected to jump by 45 percent over the next decade and a half.
Despite this coming carnage, not one presidential candidate has laid out a concrete, detailed strategy for tackling this problem.
A serious solution has to start with altering behavior. Most of these conditions are easily preventable with the right lifestyle modifications.
Over half of all American adults don't get enough exercise. And the problems generated by such sedentary behavior are greatly exacerbated by poor diets. Nearly 40 percent of adults eat fruit less than once a day and over 20 percent eat vegetables less than once a day. Seven out of 10 are overweight or obese.
Despite a sustained cultural sea change in the perception of alcohol and tobacco consumption, roughly one out of every five Americans still regularly smokes cigarettes and nearly 38 million binge drink.
A huge body of research indicates it's much easier to inculcate positive lifestyle behaviors in the young. Likewise, bad habits formed early in life tend to stick in adulthood.
Behavioral intervention needs to start early — and politicians have a crucial role to play. Schools need proper funding to give students nutritious meals and regular physical exercise.
But while prevention is important, it's equally crucial to incentivize the development of better therapies for treating people who already suffer from a chronic disease. Politicians and regulators must also hold insurance companies accountable, to stop firms from restricting access to medical procedures and prescriptions or pricing them out of patients' reach.
Politicians can even lead the fight by personal example. After Men's Fitness magazine named Oklahoma City one of the fattest cities in the country, Mayor Mick Cornett went on a public campaign to improve his health. His efforts inspired thousands.
Over four years, Oklahoma City collectively dropped one million pounds.
Chronic diseases are the chief cause of suffering, disability, and death in this country. They're public enemy number one. With an election fast approaching and candidates vying for support, patients have a unique opportunity to pressure politicians to finally declare war.
Larry Hausner
Larry Hausner is chief patient advocate of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.