Democratic, Republican and Independent Lawmakers Want to Change the Way Preventive Care Cost-Savings Are Calculated

Statement

U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Angus King (I-Maine) have joined with Congresswoman Diana DeGette (Colo.-01) and Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (Texas-26) to introduce the Preventive Health Savings Act of 2019, which would direct the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to more accurately reflect the cost-savings of preventive health care, including screenings. The legislation also would allow the Chairman or Ranking Member of the House or Senate Budget Committee, or the health committees--HELP, Finance, Ways and Means, or Energy and Commerce -- to request an analysis of preventive measures extending beyond the existing 10-year window to two additional 10-year periods. Senators Cardin and Crapo are members of the Senate Finance Committee.

"Prevention -- early detection through screenings like mammograms, and changes in behavior to reduce risks like quitting smoking -- lowers health care costs by reducing the expense and severity of treatments. As our nation shifts its focus to more preventive health care, our budgets and accounting methods should shift too," said Senator Cardin. "Our neglect of prevention has been costly, overwhelming our healthcare budgets, particularly Medicare and Medicaid. Our budget rules are long overdue for a change."

"This bipartisan legislation includes a basic fix to allow the Congressional Budget Office to articulate the long-term savings achievable through preventive health care," said Senator Crapo. "The Preventive Health Savings Act would equip lawmakers with more accurate information when considering legislation to improve the American health care system."

"Preventive care can not only saves lives, but can also help Americans avoid chronic diseases before they wreak havoc on our health and our wallets," said Senator King. "Right now, Congress measures the financial impacts of preventive health programs in a relatively narrow ten-year window, but the full benefits of prevention sometimes can't be seen for decades. If we're going to accurately measure the impact of prevention, we need to be looking further ahead -- this legislation will do that, and ensure that Congress is pursuing long-term, cost-effective solutions rather than short-term savings.

"The healthier we are as a society, the less we have to spend on health care," Rep. DeGette said. "It's that simple. And that's why it's critical, as we look for ways to make health care more affordable for all Americans, that the CBO be allowed to provide us the most accurate information possible as to how these preventive health measures work to lower our nation's long-term health care costs."

"As a physician, I have witnessed firsthand the lifesaving potential of preventive health care services and screenings. In the 21st century, Americans are fortunate that preventive care can reduce both the human and monetary costs of disease. As health care innovation continues to advance, Congress remains ill-equipped to properly budget for long-term costs," said Rep. Burgess. "Allowing the CBO to project past the current ten year scoring window will provide for a more accurate calculation of the savings of preventive health program, and will allow Congress to better serve the health care needs of the American people."

To ensure that CBO's projections link to real scientific data, the Preventive Health Savings Act would define preventive health as "an action designed to avoid future health care costs that is demonstrated by credible and publicly available epidemiological projection models, incorporating clinical trials or observational studies in humans, longitudinal studies, and meta-analysis." This narrow, responsible approach encourages a sensible review of health policy that Congress believes will promote public health, and it will make it easier for us to invest in proven methods of saving lives and money.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four health risk behaviors--lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption--are responsible for much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic diseases. By addressing just these four behaviors, we can alter the trajectory of chronic disease and the health costs associated with them.

More than 80% of all adults and 80% of youth do not meet recommendations for aerobic physical activity based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.