10 bucks a year could save billions on health care

Throwing a bit more money per person will actually help cut health care costs overtime, according to a new report issued by the Trust of America’s Health (TFAH). A panel of health experts held a briefing about the report’s findings.

$16 billion a year could be saved within five years if $10 per person is annually invested in community-based programs, according to the report ,”Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Strong Communities.” The major savers, Medicare, Medicaid, and private payers, would hold on to $5 billion, $1.9 billion, and 9 billion respectively. The key concept, according to the panel, is that there needs to be a community-based approach to improving health care. If there is a change in environment, then there will be a change in care, said Jeffrey Levi, Executive Director of the Trust for America’s health.

There is a limitation: The report is based on 2004 dollars and costs have risen since that time, Levi said. According to Levi, the focus needs to shift from clinical prevention to community prevention because the latter encourages people to change their behavior, which will ultimately prevent them from developing chronic diseases that eat up money. Expensive health conditions like heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes can be reduced by encouraging better behavior, Levi said.

Each person could save $2, 848 in one to two years, $16,543 in five years, and $18,451 in 10 to 20 years. Private payers could save $10.3 billion in 10 to 20 years. A few of the practices the panel highlighted were exercising regularly to prevent depression, opening up super markets in rural areas so people have better access to fruit and vegetables, quitting smoking, and encouraging young people to become more involved in their communities.