The ailing economy isn't just bad for our wallets—it's bad for our health.

Researchers at SUNY Albany found that workers who lost their job through no fault of their own were twice as likely to report developing a new illness like diabetes or heart disease over the next 18 months.

Even for those who haven't lost their jobs and/or their health insurance, the recession has been felt particularly hard in health care. A poll last month from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that six in ten said that they or a family member had put off medical care due to cost in the past year. This week, a new survey of 5,000 family physicians finds similar results, with nearly 90 percent reporting that their "patients have expressed concerns recently over their ability to pay for their health care needs." A large majority of doctors reported increases in the number of uninsured patients (and uncompensated care) as well as an increase in the number of patients cancelling visits and skipping preventive care.

The irony is that such trends are penny wise, but pound foolish. ACS CAN, the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, makes this point in its new, "Action Now Not Later," campaign for health reform. For example, one print ad builds off the fact that:

A colonoscopy screening, which can detect colon cancer in its early stages, costs approximately $700, according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. However, treatment for advanced stage colorectal cancer could cost $200,000.

 

 

 

 

Not to mention that advanced colon cancer can kill you.

We know the tremendous potential that prevention and wellness programs have to save money while improving health. As our colleague Meredith Hughes noted, it's a potential that has caught the attention of employers and lawmakers alike. On Tuesday, the White House met representatives from business, labor, and state government to discuss  workplace wellness initiatives that are generating real results. Yet, while companies such as Safeway are leading the way (its programs have lowered total health spending by 13 percent since 2006), our health care system as a whole lags behind.

To understand why, later today, we'll look at the disconnect between health and health care and some of the ways incentives can help realign medical care to promote healthy living and higher value for our health care dollar. We need to do a better job of preventing CABGs, because sometimes we would be better served by a salad.

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