The personal and economic burden of chronic disease is much in the news this year. Ninety percent of the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual health care expenditures are for the more than 133 million Americans, including children, who are managing a chronic disease. This is certainly the right time to focus on all the challenges we have in common.
July is Chronic Disease Month, which is an essential opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how we’re going to continue to make progress going forward.
Progress Forward in Diagnostics and Treatments
In just a few decades, diagnostics and treatments for chronic diseases have made incredible improvements. This progress is thanks to the passion of researchers and providers in the public, academic and private sectors.
- In-home dialysis has fewer side effects and better outcomes for patients.
- Transplant improvements are giving people decades of healthy life.
- All diabetes types are better understood, diagnosed and controlled with advances like continuous glucose monitors, new medications, improved insulin delivery devices and better nutritional management.
- Rare diseases are seeing extraordinary progress due to breakthroughs in genomics, precision medicine, and gene therapy. Genetic diseases that once meant certain death for babies, children and young adults can be managed and extend life by decades.
- Diseases that were once deadly — HIV, hemophilia, cancer — are not.
Progress Forward in Access to and the Affordability of Treatment
That’s not the only progress we’ve made as nation—we’ve also improved access to, and the affordability of, chronic disease treatment.
- Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act made preventive care more available, keeping millions healthy and in the workplace.
- HIPAA ensuring people with pre-existing conditions could change jobs and maintain insurance coverage without a coverage delay is essential.
- The increasing focus on care coordination and other similar services are essential to those managing multiple, complex conditions.
- Access to medical records allows for greater independence and control.
Why We Need to Keep Moving Forward...Together
Is there work to be done? Absolutely! Disease knows no party, and lasting policy solutions and research investments need bipartisan support. There is no district in this country that doesn’t struggle over healthcare.
- Patients and providers spend too much time fighting insurance denials for covered services and medications.
- Americans still struggle for access to clean air, water, nutritious and affordable food, safe places to exercise and other healthy lifestyle essentials.
- The world we live in is stressful due to poverty, overwork, racism, loneliness, caregiving responsibilities, and economic pressures, among other factors. Stress causes disease, exacerbates symptoms of existing diseases, amplifies unhealthy behaviors like drinking and smoking, and generally makes everything worse and harder to treat.
- Infectious diseases causes chronic diseases, and in our more-crowded and less-vaccinated world, once-controlled diseases like measles are killing some and causing permanent harm to others
Tell Lawmakers to Put Patients First and Prioritize Progress
We’re asking lawmakers of all parties and all levels to put patients first and prioritize progress, access and affordability. To make real headway on chronic disease in this country, we need multifaceted approaches that help all of us. In the short term, that means preserving access to Medicaid coverage. In the long-term, that means continued investments in public health, medical research and regulatory oversight.
Send a message to your state and federal lawmakers here.