WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair of the Health Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at a Health Subcommittee hearing to protect vulnerable patients and prevent chronic disease by improving care coordination and delivery between health care professionals.
As prepared for delivery.
“Good afternoon and thank you to the witnesses for being here today to discuss an important issue that I’m excited about: reducing and preventing chronic diseases.
“To combat the chronic disease epidemic, I strongly believe we need to empower providers to work together to treat and manage patients.
“The U.S. has a larger share of people with chronic diseases compared to other countries, and more than twice as many Americans with obesity and diabetes. In fact, chronic diseases make up 8 of the 10 top causes of death in the U.S.
“This crisis spans all ages. Approximately 20 percent of U.S. children are obese, 30 percent of young adults are disqualified from serving in the military due to their obesity and 40 percent of adults are obese.
“We spend $4.5 trillion annually on health care costs, and 90 percent comes from chronic diseases alone. We must do better for patients and taxpayers.
“Too often, our health care system responds to health problems only after they arise instead of preventing them in the first place.
“Fragmented care delivery results in wasteful spending and poorer health outcomes. For example, fragmented care leads to $4,500 in higher health care spending per patient.
“This is why care coordination is so important. Better collaboration between providers can help manage chronic disease, which will lead to improved patient outcomes and savings to the health system.
“I look forward to discussing these opportunities and challenges with our witnesses today, and I’m encouraged to work with my colleagues to prevent chronic disease by improving coordination between providers.”
