Follow The Money in Healthcare
It Will Lead You to Chronic Diseases
This is the 4th article in a series on America’s dysfunctional healthcare delivery system. Here is a link to the last article.
When the famous bank robber, Willie Sutton, was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, “That’s where the money is.” In healthcare, the money is in chronic illnesses. These consume about 75–85% of all dollars spent on medical care. The need is to focus there.
The diseases that a physician sees today are markedly different than in years past. Decades ago, most illnesses were acute (or temporary, such as pneumonia and appendicitis) but today the vast majority are chronic (heart failure and chronic lung disease that stick with you for life).
Chronic disease is transforming health, medical costs and the delivery of care. Diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, emphysema, and cancer are chronic. Once developed, they usually last a lifetime, are difficult to manage and expensive to treat. Chronic illnesses, once rare, are becoming commonplace. They are responsible for the vast majority of health care costs but are, to a large degree, preventable.
Chronic illnesses have two primary antecedents — aging and adverse lifestyles. There has been a remarkable increase in average lifespans and an increasing percentage of those who live a…
