I attended a health technology forum recently in Silicon Valley, and, not surprisingly, the issue of health care for Baby Boomers came up. A number of promising new technologies and services are being developed to keep Boomers healthier and help them avoid expensive hospital stays as they age.
The people who are watching Boomer health most carefully, however, are not those creating and funding these new technologies; they are the children of the Boomers. As some speakers noted at the forum, many children of aging parents want to take steps now to avoid developing the chronic illnesses that they see their parents struggle with.
I thought about children of the Boomers when I read the article "12 Ways to Live a Better Life" in the Washington Post this week, based on the book 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans by gerontologist Karl A. Pillemer. The book compiles life advice from 1,000-plus elderly that Pillemer interviewed, including advice to make healthy changes early in life to help avoid the miseries of chronic disease later in life.
The Baby Boomers are certainly driving changes and innovation in health care. But their children, who are starting to see first-hand the effects of extending life without improving the quality of life, are the ones who will probably work hardest to decrease the high rate of chronic disease in the U.S.
Showing posts with label chronic disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chronic disease. Show all posts
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Fi ve Percent
A recent study found that about half of U.S. health care expenses are incurred by just five percent of U.S. patients. These 2009 figures were just released in a data brief by the nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Management Research Foundation. The data brief found that the U.S. spent an average of $8,086 per person on health care in 2009, almost twice the $4,166 per-capita cost in 1997. Ranked by expense, the top 5% of patients (civilian and non-institutionalized) cost a mean of $35,820 per year, and the top 1% of patients cost $76,476 per year in 2009, according to the brief.
Who are these high-cost patients, the five percent? The brief stated that they tend to be 55 or older and have at least one chronic condition. (I've read elsewhere that patients with chronic conditions consume 75% of the health care budget.). Many of them have hypertension, high cholesterol, or diabetes. Increasing obesity rates are driving the increase in many costly chronic conditions.
Other factors are also driving up health care costs. These factors include costly new medical technologies, the increased use of defensive medicine to avoid malpractice suits, and economic incentives such as fee-for-service payments that discourage adequate management of chronic conditions, according to the brief.
The brief did not have any suggestions about how to curb health care expenses. Clearly, the rate of chronic conditions in the U.S. is one of the roots of the problem (although other reforms are also needed in the health care system). But the time and energy it takes for an individual to prevent or adequately manage a chronic condition are at odds with our culture, which rewards unhealthy workaholism and weakens the community ties that can foster healthy choices.
Who are these high-cost patients, the five percent? The brief stated that they tend to be 55 or older and have at least one chronic condition. (I've read elsewhere that patients with chronic conditions consume 75% of the health care budget.). Many of them have hypertension, high cholesterol, or diabetes. Increasing obesity rates are driving the increase in many costly chronic conditions.
Other factors are also driving up health care costs. These factors include costly new medical technologies, the increased use of defensive medicine to avoid malpractice suits, and economic incentives such as fee-for-service payments that discourage adequate management of chronic conditions, according to the brief.
The brief did not have any suggestions about how to curb health care expenses. Clearly, the rate of chronic conditions in the U.S. is one of the roots of the problem (although other reforms are also needed in the health care system). But the time and energy it takes for an individual to prevent or adequately manage a chronic condition are at odds with our culture, which rewards unhealthy workaholism and weakens the community ties that can foster healthy choices.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Voters See Health Care As a Chronic Problem
A bipartisan survey released earlier this week found that health care is the second largest concern for voters in the upcoming presidential election, after concerns about the economy. The survey of 1,500 potential voters, who were polled from October 5 through 9 of this year, was conducted by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.
Almost 60% of those surveyed said that health care is a "major issue" in their upcoming choice for president, according to a recent press release by the organization. Health care is also the top personal concern for men and women, who worry most about the cost of health care. Almost 70% of respondents said that chronic diseases should be diagnosed and treated better in order to control costs.
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease states that over 75% of U.S. health care dollars (in both public and private programs) are spent treating chronic diseases. I'm not surprised to read this. I was once told that 10% of Medicare patients have diabetes, but their health care costs take up 25% of the Medicare budget. All told, chronic disease costs eat up about 96% of Medicare's budget and 83% of Medicaid's budget, according to the organization.
At a presentation on aging that I attended last year, the speaker pointed out that medicine has moved from "cure to care" -- in other words, most diseases these days are managed long-term rather than cured with medical or surgical interventions. People are living longer, but not necessarily better, as chronic disease rates have been increasing steadily each year. Today, many experts, such as those affiliated with the Stanford Center on Longevity, are trying to prevent or delay the onset of chronic disease in order to cut medical costs and improve people's quality of life.
Voters seem to understand how the burden of chronic disease affects our health care system. It will be interesting to see how this issue plays out in November.
Almost 60% of those surveyed said that health care is a "major issue" in their upcoming choice for president, according to a recent press release by the organization. Health care is also the top personal concern for men and women, who worry most about the cost of health care. Almost 70% of respondents said that chronic diseases should be diagnosed and treated better in order to control costs.
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease states that over 75% of U.S. health care dollars (in both public and private programs) are spent treating chronic diseases. I'm not surprised to read this. I was once told that 10% of Medicare patients have diabetes, but their health care costs take up 25% of the Medicare budget. All told, chronic disease costs eat up about 96% of Medicare's budget and 83% of Medicaid's budget, according to the organization.
At a presentation on aging that I attended last year, the speaker pointed out that medicine has moved from "cure to care" -- in other words, most diseases these days are managed long-term rather than cured with medical or surgical interventions. People are living longer, but not necessarily better, as chronic disease rates have been increasing steadily each year. Today, many experts, such as those affiliated with the Stanford Center on Longevity, are trying to prevent or delay the onset of chronic disease in order to cut medical costs and improve people's quality of life.
Voters seem to understand how the burden of chronic disease affects our health care system. It will be interesting to see how this issue plays out in November.
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