Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund in Your State | HealthCare.gov

The Affordable Care Act creates a new Prevention and Public Health Fund to assist state and community efforts to prevent illness and promote health, so that all Americans can lead longer, more productive lives.  The Fund represents an unprecedented investment – $15 billion over 10 years – that will help prevent disease, detect it early, and manage conditions before they become severe.  By concentrating on the causes of chronic disease, the Affordable Care Act helps move the nation from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention.

The Cost of Chronic Disease & the Need for Prevention

Chronic diseases – such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes – are responsible for 7 of 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75% of the nation’s health spending. Often related to economic, social, and physical factors, too many people engage in behaviors – such as tobacco use, poor diet, physical inactivity, and alcohol abuse – that lead to poor health and contribute to chronic disease. 

A new focus on prevention will offer our nation the opportunity to not only improve the health of Americans, but also control health care spending.  A report from Trust for America’s Health entitled Prevention for a Healthier America concluded that investing $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs that increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within 5 years. 

See How the Fund Improves Wellness and Prevention for Your State:

Posted: February 9, 2011

Here is how HHS's prevention budget breaks down state by state.

Posted via email from Personal Medicine

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