Democratic platform on health: It’s not just the uninsured*
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For the first time since healthcare has been written into political platforms, people are proposing ideas that look beyond the bottom line issue of how to deal with the problem of the uninsured. The new U.S. Census Bureau national statistics on health insurance are due out Aug. 26, and many experts believe they will show an increase over last year’s 47 million uninsured Americans. (*In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau’s figures released today, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, showed a drop in the number of uninsured, to 45.7 million, primarily due to an expansion of government-provided services to children.)
That this year’s Democratic platform calls for affordable coverage for all Americans is no surprise. But it also calls for a new emphasis within the healthcare system on prevention and wellness.
‘We need to promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention and management especially with health promotion programs at work and physical education in schools. All Americans should be empowered to promote wellness and have access to preventive services to impede the development of costly chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Chronic care and behavioral health management should be assured for all Americans who require care coordination. This includes assistance for those recovering from traumatic, life-altering injuries and illnesses as well as those with mental health and substance use disorders. We should promote additional tobacco and substance abuse prevention.’
The United States has epidemics of chronic diseases that are largely preventable, including diabetes, heart disease and obesity. ‘If we’re going to deal with the affordability of healthcare, we’ve got to do a lot more about preventing diseases,’ says Dr. Ken Thorpe, professor of health policy at Emory University and executive director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. ‘About 75% of healthcare spending is associated with chronic disease. This has percolated up to become a center stage issue.’
-- Susan Brink