There has been a lot of recent buzz in the health care community and on Capitol Hill about the Prevention and Wellness Fund and how its financial resources will be allocated. The Fund finances many significant prevention and wellness initiatives and delivery system reforms, including access to care, health IT and care coordination. While lowering the national deficit is critical to strengthening our economy, we cannot afford to cut the very programs that work towards that goal.

As a prevention and wellness advocate, I oppose any legislative proposals that take money from the Fund to pay for said proposal.  Regardless of the merit of such proposals, the Fund and its resources should be used as they were originally appropriated by the PPACA. 

Let’s consider the facts:

• Patients with chronic disease account for 75 percent of U.S. health spending and the numbers are higher in entitlement programs. Eighty-three percent of every dollar in Medicaid is spent on chronic disease and 99 percent in Medicare. In addition, the doubling of obesity since 1987 alone accounts for nearly a third of the overall rise in health care spending. The top seven chronic conditions cost the U.S. $1.3 trillion each year.
• The potential returns on health improvement efforts supported by the Fund are substantial.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimates that if all Americans enjoyed the same level of health as college graduates, the savings would amount to $1 trillion a year.  A model estimating the impact of a modest health status improvement among Medicare beneficiaries projected a savings of $65.2 billion a year or $652 billion of over 10 years. Similarly, a study released by Trust for America’s Health shows that investments in effective community-focused programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent tobacco use have been estimated to generate a return of more than $5 for each $1 invested – for an overall savings of $16 billion a year within five years.

Developing and implementing effective interventions to both prevent and more effectively manage chronic illness is a critical national health priority and an imperative component to any quality and cost containment strategy.  Preventing and managing chronic diseases effectively depends upon people engaging in healthy behaviors and having access to preventive health care services, diagnostic services that detect chronic disease early, and coordinated care to manage chronic illness once detected. We need to preserve the Fund to scale and replicate on a national level the programs and delivery system reforms that have evidence of both improvements in clinical outcomes and reductions in health care spending.

As Congress prepares to vote on this critical issue, I them to consider the facts, preserve the resources allocated to the Fund and oppose any legislative proposals relying on resources from the Fund as pay-fors.