News

Recognizing that millions of dollars could be saved annually in health care costs if the state focused more on preventing major illnesses rather than simply treating them, Health Resources in Action joined a group of influential public health advocates urging legislators to invest in community-based preventative health programs and strategies.

A bill sponsored by state Rep. Jason Lewis, (D-Winchester) calls for the creation of the Prevention and Cost Control Trust which would provide grants to municipalities and nonprofit programs aimed at curbing the costliest and most preventable chronic diseases including asthma, heart disease, and diabetes.

"This legislation would create a high impact program of competitive grants to communities across the state to implement interventions that address the most prevalent and most costly health conditions," said Rep. Lewis.

Some examples of these interventions are programs that show families how to improve the air quality in their homes to alleviate children's asthma symptoms; improve sidewalks, create bicycle lanes and spruce up parks to encourage physical activity; provide students with healthier foods in school; and, work to reduce tobacco use and exposure. The trust would be funded via a surcharge paid by health insurers.

Laurie Stillman, chief strategy officer for HRiA, noted that the bulk of the money spent on health care goes toward treating preventable chronic diseases, while only a small percentage of health care spending is targeted at preventing people from developing these conditions in the first place.

"We need to find new and innovative ways of controlling costs within the health care system," said Stillman, who recently provided testimony in favor of the bill at a public hearing. "This would allow us to put more resources into making communities healthier before they ever get sick."

Supporters of the initiative, including the Massachusetts Public Health Association, Boston Public Health Commission, and Health Care for All, argue that programs aimed at preventing chronic problems have been effective and can lead to significant savings in medical expenses. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health earlier this year found that a 5 percent reduction in chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension could lead to a savings of nearly $500 million per year.

The legislature's Public Health Committee is currently considering the bill.

A 2010 report by the Asthma Regional Council of New England, a program of HRiA showed that $20 billion is spent per year on asthma treatment nationally, but $5 billion in unnecessary hospitalizations could be saved by limiting the factors that trigger asthma attacks.

Stillman also noted in her testimony that chronic diseases cost the United States $1 trillion each year in lost productivity in the workplace, and cuts in funding for public health programs are bound to make matters worse.

"We won't be helping small business or the economy if we continue gutting public health programs," she said in a letter to legislators. "The Prevention and Cost Control Trust provides the best medicine. The fund is a critical step in building a healthy, competitive workforce and controlling the costs of health care."