New Report: Chronic Disease Could Cost the U.S. $47 Trillion Over Next 15 Years
New national and state data released today by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) projects that chronic disease is on pace to cost the United States as much as $47 trillion between 2024 and 2039, including $2.2 trillion annually in medical costs and nearly $900 billion each year in lost productivity by 2039. The analysis, conducted by GlobalData, highlights a stark reality: 5% of people account for nearly 50% of total health care spending, driven largely by the growth of patients living with three or more chronic conditions. By 2039, the combined per-person medical and productivity cost of chronic disease could reach $12,900 per U.S. resident if meaningful action is not taken.
New Analysis Shows Weight Loss Saves Employers and Medicare Health Care Costs
Obesity is quickly rising to the top of the list of chronic conditions in the U.S. with more than 40 percent of adults having obesity, with the highest prevalence seen among adults aged 40-59 years – prime working years.1 Obesity also increases the risk of developing a host of other chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers. Addressing obesity by promoting weight loss, accordingly, should reduce costs not only related to obesity but also these comorbid conditions. Recent research by Emory University Professor and Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) Chair Ken Thorpe published today in JAMA Network Open – Estimated Reduction in Health Care Spending Associated With Weight Loss Among Adults – highlights the potential savings resulting from modest to moderate weight loss by adults with obesity, including savings by comorbid condition, represented by reduced health care spending among U.S. adults with employer-sponsored insurance or Medicare.
Advancing Health Equity, Improving Health Outcomes for All Could Save U.S. $3.8 Trillion
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today released new data and analysis on the economic impact of achieving health equity in chronic disease outcomes through 2031. The analysis found that a total of $3.8 trillion in costs could be saved by empowering people with chronic conditions to achieve recommended health outcomes, specifically $2.7 trillion in medical costs and $1.1 trillion in less absenteeism over 10 years. The data assessed people aged 18 and older with insurance who have one or more of nine common conditions: Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, HIV, arthritis, or colorectal cancer.
Latest Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Draft Takes Two Steps Back for Seniors
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) released the following statement today regarding the Prescription Drug Pricing Reform proposal aiming to lower drug prices through government negotiation under Medicare:
Compromising Patient Access Is Not a Path Forward for Alzheimer’s Disease
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) released the following statement from Chair Ken Thorpe regarding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determination requiring Coverage with Evidence Development (NCD) for monoclonal antibodies (mABs) targeting amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Health Care Groups Band Together to Call for Congress, Administration to Support Pandemic Preparedness Partners
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today sent a letter to congressional and administration leaders calling on them to support those who have been partners in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and who remain essential to ensuring we are better prepared for future pandemics. The letter, signed by 14 leaders representing patients, caregivers, medical product manufacturers, medical providers, and domestic personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturers, notes growing concerns about federal efforts that would weaken domestic strengths and curtail momentum needed to fight COVID-19 today and better prepare for health crises into the future. The collective groups also urge policymakers, “to reject any efforts that would undermine these industries while their work to respond to COVID-19, to enable a robust recovery, and to ensure pandemic preparedness with the United States persists.”
Reducing Costs and Fortifying Innovation Can, and Must, Coexist for the Millions of Americans Living With Chronic Disease
Today Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease Chair Ken Thorpe released the following statement on the Reduced Costs and Continued Cures Act:
Shortsighted Border Policy Puts Millions With Chronic Disease at Risk of Blood Plasma Shortages
In addition to a detailed letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) raising serious concerns over a recent change in federal policy that threatens the U.S. supply of blood plasma and plasma-derived therapies, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today issued the following statement:
Fixing Potholes Shouldn’t Cost Seniors More at the Pharmacy Counter
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) has issued the following statement in response to news that Congress may increase costs for Medicare beneficiaries to pay for an infrastructure proposal:
Health Care Reform Proposals Must Realistically Address Patient Needs
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today released the following statement on the recent principles for reform set forth by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR):
Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease Statement Regarding Biden Administration’s Support of Waiving IP Protections for COVID-19 Vaccines
Kenneth Thorpe, chairman of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), has issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement in support of waiving intellectual property (IP) protections for COVID-19 vaccines:
