[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 129 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7976-S7977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 640--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THERE 
  SHOULD BE AN INCREASED FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE 
PREVENTION OF DISEASES AND INJURIES FOR ALL PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mrs. Clinton) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 640

       Whereas the United States has the highest rate of 
     preventable deaths among 19 industrialized countries and lags 
     behind 28 other members of the United Nations in life 
     expectancy;
       Whereas various research studies suggest that nearly 60 
     percent of premature deaths in the United States are 
     attributable to environmental conditions, social 
     circumstances, or behavioral choices that could be prevented;
       Whereas more money is spent each year on health care in the 
     United States than in any other country in the world;
       Whereas, of the more than $2,200,000,000,000 spent on 
     health care in the United States each year, less than 4 cents 
     out of every dollar are spent on improving public health and 
     preventing diseases and injuries;
       Whereas chronic diseases are the leading cause of 
     preventable death and disability in the United States, 
     accounting for 7 out of every 10 deaths and killing more than 
     1,700,000 people in the United States each year;
       Whereas those often preventable chronic diseases account 
     for approximately 75 percent of health care spending in the 
     United States each year, including more than 96 cents out of 
     every dollar spent under the Medicare program and more than 
     83 cents out of every dollar spent under the Medicaid 
     program;
       Whereas those chronic diseases cost the United States an 
     additional $1,000,000,000,000 each year in lost productivity 
     and are a major contributing factor to the overall poor 
     health that is placing the Nation's economic security and 
     competitiveness in jeopardy;
       Whereas the number of people with chronic diseases is 
     rapidly increasing, and it is estimated that by 2050 nearly 
     half of the population of the United States will suffer from 
     at least one chronic disease if action is not taken;
       Whereas the use of clinically-based preventive services has 
     been demonstrated to prevent or result in early detection of 
     cancer and other diseases, save lives, and reduce overall 
     health care costs; and
       Whereas research has shown that investing in community-
     level interventions that promote and enable proper nutrition, 
     increased access to physical activity, and smoking cessation 
     programs can prevent or mitigate chronic diseases, improve 
     quality of life, increase economic productivity, and reduce 
     health care costs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes that, in order to reduce the disease burden 
     and health care costs associated with preventable diseases 
     and injuries, it is imperative that the United States 
     strengthen its public health system--
       (A) to provide all people in the United States with the 
     information, resources, and environment necessary to make 
     healthier choices and live healthier lives; and
       (B) to protect all people in the United States from health 
     threats beyond their control, such as bioterrorism, natural 
     disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, and environmental 
     hazards;
       (2) commits to creating public health strategies to 
     eliminate health disparities and improve the health of all 
     people in the United States, regardless of race, ethnicity, 
     or socioeconomic status;
       (3) supports the prioritizing of public policies focusing 
     on the prevention of disease and injury;
       (4) calls for community-based programs to support healthy 
     lifestyles, including programs that promote proper nutrition 
     and increased access to physical activity;

[[Page S7977]]

       (5) urges the expansion of clinical preventive activities, 
     including screenings and immunizations; and
       (6) pledges to help significantly improve the health of all 
     people in the United States by supporting increased 
     investment in Federal public health programs.

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
promoting increased investment in preventive health and public health.
  Our Nation's annual health expenditures have reached the astonishing 
total of $2.2 trillion, or approximately $7,000 for each American. Our 
health expenditures also represent 16 percent of the gross domestic 
product. That's a higher percentage of GDP than any other nation as 
well as a higher amount per capita.
  But what are we getting for our health care dollars? Rankings from 
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, 
consistently show the United States ranking far behind most other 
industrialized countries in overall health status, in infant health as 
measured by infant mortality rates, and in life expectancy.
  And if we examine the distribution of expenditures, it becomes 
apparent that we are dedicating the lion's share of resources to a few, 
chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and hypertension. From 1987 to 
2000, while our overall health care spending doubled, spending on 
strokes nearly quadrupled and spending on hypertension rose from $8 
billion to $23 billion a year. Chronic diseases are the leading cause 
of preventable death and disability, and are responsible for more than 
1.7 million deaths each year. They are particularly costly for 
publicly-funded insurance programs, accounting for 96 cents of every 
Medicare dollar and 83 cents of every Medicaid dollar. Project HOPE has 
estimated that by the year 2050, nearly half the population of the 
United States will develop at least one chronic disease if we do not 
act.
  But analyses also show that of the money spent on health care, fewer 
than 4 cents of every dollar are dedicated to public health and 
prevention. We need to prioritize public health and preventive 
approaches if we are to have a healthier America.
  We already know that early detection can save lives, reduce costs, 
and result in a more efficient health care system for all of us. One 
prominent example is colorectal cancer screening. Colorectal cancer is 
the number two cancer killer in the United States. This year, an 
estimated 148,000 new cases will be diagnosed and more than 52,000 
Americans will die from the disease.
  The risk of colorectal cancer begins to increase after the age of 40 
and rises sharply at the ages of 50 to 55, at which point the risk 
doubles with each succeeding decade. Despite advances in surgical 
techniques and adjuvant therapy, there has been only a modest 
improvement in survival for patients who present with advanced cancers.
  The good news is that colorectal cancer can be prevented, and is 
highly treatable when discovered early. Most cases of the disease begin 
as non-cancerous polyps which can be detected and removed during 
routine screenings--preventing the development of colorectal cancer. 
Screening tests also save lives even when they detect polyps that have 
become cancerous by catching the disease in its earliest, most curable 
stages. The cure rate is up to 93 percent when colorectal cancer is 
discovered early.
  We must also promote changes in lifestyles, community-based 
interventions, to improve our health status. This means encouraging and 
enabling proper nutrition, increasing our level of physical activity, 
supporting smoking cessation programs for those who smoke now, and 
educating youth about the dangers of smoking.
  Trust for America's Health has just released a report entitled 
``Prevention for a Healthier America.'' Among its conclusions is that 
``an investment of $10 per person per year in community-based programs 
to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking 
and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion 
annually every five years . . . a return of $5.60 for every $1. Of the 
$16 billion, Medicare could save more than $5 billion, Medicaid could 
save more than $1.9 billion, and private payers could save more than $9 
billion.''
  It is clear that to make a real difference in America's health 
status, and to produce a far more efficient health care system, the 
answer is to use our health care resources more wisely. That means 
investing in the clinically-based and community-based interventions 
that will prevent the serious, chronic illnesses that are draining our 
health care resources now.
  Finally, Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Clinton for joining 
me in introducing this resolution. Her knowledge of and expertise in 
health care are unparalleled, and I am very appreciative of her 
support. I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

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