Kennedy Statement on the Role of States in Keeping Americans Healthy

EXCERPTS FROM STATEMENT BY SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY ON THE ROLE OF STATES IN KEEPING AMERICANS HEALTHY
United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing

At a January hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) provided a statement in which he noted that the United States spends two trillion dollars a year on care, yet one in two Americans suffer from chronic diseases that decrease quality of life and increase health costs. Estimates indicate that close to 200 million Americans alive today will have a chronic illness, and that one in four dollars will soon be spent on health care.

He noted that many factors lead to chronic disease, but much of the health care expenditures associated with these conditions are preventable. “For every dollar spent on initiatives to increase physical activity, improve nutrition and prevent smoking, a total of $5.60 can be saved in health costs” his statement reported. Even though a great deal is known about the power of prevention, less than five percent of all health expenditures are spent on prevention.

The statement noted that economic, social and physical issues often make it difficult for people to make healthy choices. In response, states are exploring innovative prevention initiatives to combat the effects of chronic illness on their residents. In particular he highlighted the Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services initiative “Mass In Motion,” a multi-faceted program that includes promoting healthy eating and physical activity, grants to cities and towns to make wellness initiatives a priority, and a new website to give residents advice on how to make healthy eating and physical activity part of their daily lives.

He went on to say that the power of prevention is an essential element of health reform and that prevention must be one of the principal pillars of overall health reform.