Daunting
in the Dark
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The
Center for the Advancement of Health translates
to the public the latest research on prevention,
chronic disease management and health care, with
an emphasis on how social, behavioral and economic
factors affect illness and well-being. The Center
is an independent nonprofit corporation that
receives core funding from the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation and The Annenberg Foundation.
D
I S C O N N E C T
Despite
counseling by physicians, Americans
still consume far too much sodium, putting them
at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease
and stroke, according to a new study in the
latest issue of the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine. Researcher Umed Ajani analyzed
data collected from a random sample of more than
4,000 Americans and found there was no difference
in sodium levels between those whose doctors
advised them to be careful and those whose doctors
did not. (Ajani AU, et al. Sodium intake
among people with normal and high blood pressure.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine29(4,supp),
2005.)
T
O P_M E D I A_H
I T S
People
who are trying to either
lose weight or avoid gaining do better by weighing themselves
daily, says University of Minnesota researcher Jennifer
Linde in a recent issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
A Health Behavior News Service story about her research
was the basis of articles in Time Magazine,
the Miami Herald and the Los Angeles Times.
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In
the past 15 years, there has been an 18.4 percent improvement
in the nation’s health, with the number of premature
deaths declining
by 15 percent and smoking by 30 percent.
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|
Jessie
Gruman
President
and Executive Director
Center for the
Advancement of Health
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But
since the turn of this century, the rate of improvement
has dwindled dramatically according to various health,
social and environmental indicators compiled by the
American Public Health Association, United Health Foundation
and the Partnership for Prevention.
There
is no single answer as to why, but the usual suspects
are becoming evident.
The
number of children living in poverty increased in 25
states in the past year, the number of uninsured rose
in 26 states and high school graduation rates fell
from 72.9 percent in 1990 to 68.3 percent in 2005.
And,
from 1990 to 2005, adult obesity in American doubled
from 11.6 percent to 23.1 percent.
There
is much to be said for the need for more personal responsibility.
But there is a lot more that needs to be said about
what Dr. Reed V. Tuckson, head of United Health Foundation,
calls “the quietest story” – a non-medical
story – namely, what is happening to the federal
budget.
A
massive shift of national resources from the poor to
the rich through tax policy, and a federal budget that
quashes growth in disease-prevention research, are
the likely culprits behind some of the worsening health
outcomes.
On
top of this, hit-or-miss access to health care services
for even those with insurance is being compromised
by the advent of consumer-directed health plans, in
which average Americans roll the dice with their own
shrinking bankroll at stake and gamble on whether paying
higher deductibles will save them short-term money
at the expense of long-term health.
Finding
the right plan isn’t as easy as even shopping
for a new car, where prices and options are pasted
right onto the product, and the Internet can tell you
how to negotiate discounts.
Whether
they have done it on purpose or not, the government
and the insurance industry are keeping the consumer
in the dark as to what various health commodities should
cost and the quality that is provided at any given
price.
A
recent study by the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research
Institute found that yes, many more consumers do consider
cost first when they direct their own health spending
than those who are in traditional plans. But only 12
percent of them say their plans provide enough information
to compare the costs of different doctors and hospitals.
And the sad reality is that those who need health care
the most are the least likely to know how to shop for
it.
Add
to this the complication of Medicare reform that even
President Bush called “daunting” and you
have a perfect storm eroding the nation’s well-being
and forcing us to decide just how much health we want
to afford and how sick we will allow our fellow Americans
to become.
