Daschle: ‘Wellness Has To Be Cool And Prevention Has To Be A Hot Thing’
Daschle: ‘Wellness Has To Be Cool And Prevention Has To Be A Hot Thing’
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) reiterated his commitment to investing in wellness and prevention and changing the “paradigm from illness to wellness.” “Wellness has to be cool and prevention has to be a hot thing,” Dashle said.
Watch it:
Indeed, compared to scientific recommendations, “too few Americans receive preventive services.” According to one study, for instance, “only half of recommended clinical preventive services are provided to adults.” In 2002, the United States spent $132 billion treating Americans with diabetes, but just $70 billion on the prevention of all diseases.
Correcting this imbalance could build a healthier nation and save health care dollars. In fact, experts estimate that just ensuring that every child receives every routine vaccination could reduce direct and indirect health care costs by up to $40 billion over time.
Luckily, Daschle’s deputy at the HHS, former CAPAF Senior Fellow Jeanne Lambrew, has promoted the idea of a Wellness Trust, a concept premised on the notion that “disease prevention is more like homeland security than health insurance: everyone needs it, no one notices if it works, and it depends on persistent, strong leadership and systems“:
The proposed Wellness Trust would dramatically increase the nation’s emphasis on prevention. It would create a broad-based, 21 st century system, including population-based interventions outside of the traditional bounds of the health care system. It would use consolidated financing and information technology to expand and coordinate services over a lifetime and across care settings. While elements of the Wellness Trust could be implemented immediately, it should be an essential component of any effort to reform the U.S. health care system.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced Lambrew’s Wellness Trust in legislation. To read more about the Wellness Trust, click here.
5 Responses to “Daschle: ‘Wellness Has To Be Cool And Prevention Has To Be A Hot Thing’”
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And we have to quit bribing teachers and doctors to do a good job. Don’t spread the poison of pay for performance to health care and education.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:17 pmOh, please, we have 7,000 gerontologists and we need 14,000. If you want talent, you gotta pay for it, there’s no two ways about it. If we take our CEO pay down to European or Japanese levels and cut 5% out of the Iraqi defense contractor fiasco, we could easily afford to pay what it takes to get good doctors and good teachers in the public medical and education establishments. There are some who would prefer to see those institutions weakened, but I blame the fact that they can’t stand what biology and geology says about their favorite superstitions.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:25 pmBush widened for-profit education via No Child Left Behind. The testing industry exploded.
This looks similar.
It would create a broad-based, 21 st century system, including population-based interventions outside of the traditional bounds of the health care system. It would use consolidated financing and information technology to expand and coordinate services over a lifetime and across care settings.
Insurance companies are positioned to provide such services.
January 8th, 2009 at 2:38 pmSo is the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Plan. I recommend Daschle’s book and Dr. Don McCanne’s review of it.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:33 amEXPANDING HEALTH INSURANCE & NUMBER OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IS NOT PREVENTIOON
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:25 pmPrivate insurers & the federal employee health plan provide access to medical care for INDIVIDUALS who have a medical condition. PREVENTION requires taking steps that benefit the ENTIRE POPULAITON or a subgroup of the population to eliminate or reduce the risk of disease or injury. Often these preventive measures involve action from non-health sectors
Examples:
1. Water floridation decreases cavities-a preventive measure taken by a municipal water district.
2. Seat belts/child car seats-prevent ejection from vehicles
3. Smoke-free workplaces/restaurants-prevent 2nd hand smoke inhaltion (asthma attacks, respiratory diseases)-business & local government (ordinances)
4. Food/menu nutrition labels: helps consumers make healthier food choices/monitor dietary habits that can prevent cardiovascular disease (#1 cause of death in US).
5. Mandatory physical education (K-12): prevent obesity by promoting physical activity.