WHO Warns of Enormous Burden of Chronic Disease

By Kate Kelland


LONDON (Reuters) Apr 27 - Chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes have reached global epidemic proportions and now cause more deaths than all other diseases combined, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.


In its first worldwide report on so-called non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, the United Nations health body said the conditions caused more than half of all deaths in 2008 and pose a greater threat than infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis (TB) -- even in many poorer countries.


"The rise of chronic noncommunicable diseases presents an enormous challenge," WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, who launched the report at a meeting in Moscow, said in a statement.


"For some countries, it is no exaggeration to describe the situation as an impending disaster; a disaster for health, for society, and most of all for national economies," she said.
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Medicaid Prevention Grants

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce the invitation to States to apply for participation in the Medicaid Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Diseases Program authorized by section 4108 of the Affordable Care Act.  This nationwide program will test and evaluate the effectiveness of a program to provide financial and non-financial incentives to Medicaid beneficiaries of all ages who participate in prevention programs to address at least one of the following prevention goals: tobacco cessation, controlling or reducing weight, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and avoiding the onset of diabetes or improving the management of the condition; and demonstrating changes in health risk and outcomes, including the adoption of healthy behaviors.

This new funding opportunity does not require States to match the incentive payment with State funds.  Beneficiary incentives available through section 4108 may be used by States to complement other chronic condition health initiatives, such as the currently available Health Home Medicaid State plan option provided by section 2703 of the Affordable Care Act.  Approved administrative and program expenditures for successful applicants will be reimbursed through grant funds from the $100 million dollars appropriated under section 4108 of the Affordable Care Act for this program and evaluation.  The Office of the Governor or the State Medicaid Agency may apply for funding under this grant opportunity, however CMS will accept only one application per State and encourages State offices and agencies to work collaboratively to develop one application packet.

All applications must be submitted electronically through http://www.grants.gov

The solicitation and further application requirements may be obtained at http://www.cms.gov/MIPCD/
 
An applicant’s teleconference is scheduled for March 8, 2011 from 2:30 to 4:30 PM eastern time and may be accessed by calling the operated assisted toll-free dial-in number: (800)837-1935, and the Conference ID is: 2314.

The closing date for this Funding Opportunity Announcement is May 2, 2011.   

Chronic Health Conditions Hit Native Elders Early

New Report on Native Elder Health Finds Asthma, Diabetes, Obesity Prevalent in Native Elders Years Before General Population

Native elders are aging earlier than other elderly groups, according to a new Center report that provides the first comprehensive information on American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) elder health in California.

Using the 2005 and 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the report provides omnibus data on native elder health on topics ranging from demographics, obesity, alcohol and tobacco use, as well as cancer screening, mental health, health insurance and more.


The authors, Center researcher Delight Satter and Center Associate Director Steven P. Wallace, found significant health disparities between AIAN elders and other senior racial and ethnic groups on issues ranging from diabetes and cancer screening to the high risk of falls.

The report, which follows a fact sheet on native elder health published earlier this year, provides evidence to show that native elders are developing chronic conditions earlier than other racial and ethnic groups.

Among the findings:

Diabetes

One-quarter (26 percent) of AIANs aged 55-64 have been diagnosed with diabetes compared to 12 percent of whites.

Asthma

One in five AIAN elders ages 55-64 have been diagnosed with asthma (20 percent) compared to 9 percent of Latinos of the same age.

Obesity

Nearly one-half (44 percent) of AIAN elders age 55-64 are obese, compared to 38 percent of African-Americans, 34 percent of Latinos and 25 percent of whites.

“Chronic health problems for Natives are cresting ten years earlier than the general population,” said Satter. “While researchers have heard anecdotally about this phenomenon for a long time, this is the first data in California that shows the drastic early aging that is afflicting the native community.

“Hopefully the data will also be a rallying call to health experts, advocates, policymakers and the native community to support the programs and policies that contribute to healthier aging.”

Although national health status data exist on the AIAN population as a whole, there is a severe lack of state-level and sub-state level data focused on the health of AIAN elders. This report presents the first comprehensive population-level health data on California’s Native Elders.

This report was funded by the California Wellness Foundation, the California Area Indian Health Service, the Mayo Clinic Spirit of Eagles and the UCLA Tribal Learning Community and Educational Exchange.

Read the report: Health of American Indian and Alaska Native Elders in California


UCLA Center for Healthpolicy Research

New Policy Brief Details the "Paradox" of Food Insecurity

Image by Phil Manker via Flickr

Limited resources for purchasing food has a dramatic impact on our health and our risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes. Like many health conditions, there are racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of diabetes. For example, in California, among adults ages 50 and over, the prevalence of diabetes is 11.4% among Whites, and almost twice as high among communities of color; 22.2% among African Americans, 23.2% among Latinos, and 24.8% for American Indian/Alaskan Natives. In addition, the prevalence of diabetes is twice as high among adults with less than an 8th grade education as among adults with a college education. What is even more concerning is that even after adjusting for these socio-demographic trends, adults living with the most severe levels of food insecurity have more than twice the risk of developing diabetes as adults who are not food insecure.
Read Policy Brief

Can Value Based Insurance Be Cost Effective

by Chris Fleming

A Web First article published January 21 by Health Affairs reports new evidence that value-based insurance design (VBID) programs, in which patients pay little or no copayment fees for high value health care services, can break even, or even save money. The results, reported by Harvard’s Michael Chernew and coauthors, came from analysis of data from one large corporation that implemented a VBID program in 2005. Copayment rates were reduced for employees using five classes of drugs used to treat several serious but common chronic conditions, including diabetes and hypertension.

Health Affairs Blog

HHS Announces $27 Million from Recovery Act to Help Older Americans Fight Chronic Disease

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the availability of $27 million to help older individuals with chronic conditions to improve their health and reduce their use of costly medical care. These funds are made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has provided up to $650 million to HHS for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative launched earlier this fall to promote evidence-based prevention strategies in communities and states across the country.

“This program is about getting money to communities to help seniors manage chronic conditions that threaten their ability to remain in their own homes. Through HHS’ national aging-services network which reaches into nearly every community in America, we are helping people living with chronic conditions and others better manage their own health,” Secretary Sebelius said.

Research has shown that prevention programs can improve the quality of life for older individuals, including frail seniors with multiple chronic conditions, and also reduce health care costs. The Recovery Act funds will put the results of HHS’ research investments into practice at more than 1,200 community-based sites across the country -- reaching tens of thousands of older Americans and their families.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been about helping families in need during challenging economic times, “ said Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee. “This innovative program will give at-risk older people and their caregivers the tools they need to make their own decisions so they can live longer, healthier and more independent lives.”

This competitive initiative gives every state Aging and Health Department and U.S. territory the opportunity to implement rigorously tested Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs (CDSMP), one of the most prominent being the Stanford University model. The CDSMP is a six-week peer-led training program that covers topics such as healthy eating, exercise, managing fatigue and depression, and communicating effectively with health care professionals. While further research is underway, rigorous evaluations have suggested that the program improves participants’ overall health and energy levels and result in savings to Medicare through fewer hospital stays. CDSMP are specifically designed to be delivered by non-health professionals in community settings, such as senior centers, congregate meal programs, faith-based organizations and senior housing projects.

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