U.S. Chamber Lauds Senate HELP for Addressing Prevention, Chronic Disease Management

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Vice President for Labor, Immigration and Employee Benefits Randel K. Johnson issued the following statement today, applauding Chairman Ted Kennedy and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee for holding a critical hearing on the importance of prevention and chronic disease management:

"Health care affordability is one of the greatest challenges facing our nation. Costs continue to increase significantly, and, with our aging population, it shows no sign of leveling off. Much of the burden of rising health care costs falls squarely on the shoulders of employers. A key study shows that productivity losses related to personal and family health problems cost U.S. employers $1,685 per employee per year, or $225.8 billion annually.

"To improve health care affordability and employee health, we have to better manage costs. The place to start is with preventable illnesses. Eighty percent of health care dollars are spent on the treatment of illnesses that are preventable.

"To scale down the need for costly treatments of disease, innovative employers are investing in keeping employees healthy. A growing number of businesses are rolling out employee wellness and prevention programs that provide incentives for exercising, eating better, and getting regular checkups.

"The business community has an important role to play in improving employee health while reducing health care costs. Congress has a role to play, too. It should provide financial incentives to encourage more companies to invest in their employees' health and well being.

"The U.S. Chamber welcomes the Senate's commitment to "preventive care" as a means of maintaining healthy and productive employees while mitigating against future "sick care" costs."

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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