[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1964-1965]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 11--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS TO 
 FULLY USE THE POWERS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ENHANCE THE SCIENCE 
 BASE REQUIRED TO MORE FULLY DEVELOP THE FIELD OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND 
 DISEASE PREVENTION, AND TO EXPLORE HOW STRATEGIES CAN BE DEVELOPED TO 
  INTEGRATE LIFESTYLE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS INTO NATIONAL POLICY, OUR 
   HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, SCHOOLS, WORKPLACES, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Craig, Mr. Bingaman, and Mr. Crapo) 
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                            S. Con. Res. 11

       Whereas the New England Journal of Medicine has reported 
     that modifiable lifestyle factors such as smoking, sedentary 
     lifestyle, poor nutrition, unmanaged stress, and obesity 
     account for approximately 50 percent of the premature deaths 
     in the United States;
       Whereas the New England Journal of Medicine has reported 
     that spending on chronic diseases related to lifestyle and 
     other preventable diseases accounts for an estimated 70 
     percent of total health care spending;
       Whereas preventing disease and disability can extend life 
     and reduce the need for health care services;
       Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
     concluded that the health burden of these behaviors falls in 
     greatest proportion on older adults, young children, racial 
     and ethnic minority groups and citizens who have the least 
     resources;
       Whereas business leaders of America have asserted that 
     spending for health care can divert private sector resources 
     from investments that could produce greater financial returns 
     and higher wages paid to employees;
       Whereas the Office of Management and Budget reports that 
     the medicaid and medicare expenditures continue to grow;
       Whereas the American Journal of Public Health reports that 
     expenditures for the medicare program will increase 
     substantially as the population ages and increasing numbers 
     of people are covered by medicare;
       Whereas the American Journal of Health Promotion reports 
     that a growing research base demonstrates that lifestyle 
     factors can be modified to improve health, improve the 
     quality of life, reduce medical care costs, and enhance 
     workplace productivity through health promotion programs;
       Whereas the Health Care Financing Administration has 
     determined that less than 5 percent of health care spending 
     is devoted to the whole area of public health, and a very 
     small portion of that 5 percent is devoted to health 
     promotion and disease prevention;
       Whereas research in the basic and applied science of health 
     promotion can yield a better understanding of health and 
     disease prevention;
       Whereas additional research can clarify the impact of 
     health promotion programs on long term health behaviors, 
     health conditions, morbidity and mortality, medical care 
     utilization and cost, as well as quality of life and 
     productivity;
       Whereas the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy 
     of Science has concluded that additional research is required 
     to determine the most effective strategies to create lasting 
     health behavior changes, reduce health care utilization, and 
     enhanced productivity;
       Whereas the private sector and academia cannot sponsor 
     broad public health promotion, disease prevention, and 
     research programs;
       Whereas the full benefits of health promotion cannot be 
     realized--
       (1) unless strategies are developed to reach all groups 
     including older adults, young children, and minority groups;
       (2) until a more professional consensus on the management 
     of health and clinical protocols is developed;
       (3) until protocols are more broadly disseminated to 
     scientists and practitioners in health care, workplace, 
     school, and other community settings; and
       (4) until the merits of health promotion programs are 
     disseminated to policy makers;
       Whereas investments in health promotion can contribute to 
     reducing health disparities; and
       Whereas Research America reports that most American 
     citizens strongly support increased Federal investment in 
     health promotion and disease prevention: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This resolution may be cited as the ``Building Health 
     Promotion and Disease Prevention into the National Agenda 
     Resolution of 2001''.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that the Federal Government 
     should--
       (1) increase resources to enhance the science base required 
     to further develop the field of health promotion and disease 
     prevention; and
       (2) explore strategies to integrate life-style improvement 
     programs into national policy, health care, schools, 
     workplaces, families, and communities in order to promote 
     health and prevent disease.

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today Senator Craig and I are 
introducing the ``Building Health Promotion and Disease Prevention into 
the National Agenda Resolution of 2001.''
  This resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the federal 
government should do two things: (1) Support scientific research on 
health promotion and (2) explore ways in which the government can 
develop a national policy to integrate lifestyle improvement programs 
into our health care, schools, families and communities.
  This resolution is supported by a coalition of 47 organizations, 
including the Wellness Council of America, the American Journal of 
Health Promotion, the American Preventive Medical Association, the 
National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the National Center for Health 
Education, Partnership for Prevention, and the Society for Prevention 
Research.
  According to the American Journal of Health Promotion, health 
promotion is ``the science and art of helping people change their 
lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health.'' Optimal health is 
defined as ``a balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual and 
intellectual health.''
  In this day and age of scientific breakthroughs and increased 
knowledge of medical science and health, American health care tends to 
emphasize curative treatments, rather than preventive measures and 
health promotion.
  Several compelling statistics make the case for this resolution:
  ``Fifty percent of premature deaths in the United States are related 
to modifiable lifestyle factors,'' according to the Journal of the 
American Medical Association.
  People with good health habits survive longer, and they can postpone 
disability by five years and compress it into fewer years at the end of 
life, says the New England Journal of Medicine.
  While the exact amount spent on preventive health is disputed, 
experts estimate that only two to five percent of the annual $1.5 
trillion spent on national health care is on health promotion and 
disease prevention. In an April 1999 speech, Dr. David Satcher, the 
U.S. Surgeon General, stated that ``only one percent of that amount 
goes

[[Page 1965]]

to population-based prevention.'' According to the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, CDC, the government spends $1,390 per person 
per year to treat disease and only $1.21 per person per year to prevent 
disease. This is simply not enough.
  We must do a better job of supporting health promotion and disease 
prevention, as well as research to find cures for diseases and helping 
those who suffer from all illnesses. By doing so, we will see an 
increase in the number of Americans who are living longer and healthier 
lives and this could mean a decrease in overall national health costs. 
Simply put, it is much cheaper to prevent a disease than to treat it.
  Diseases that are modifiable, if not checked, can become very 
expensive in treatment and cures. For instance:
  The direct and indirect costs of smoking is $130 billion per year.
  Diabetes costs $98 billion per year.
  Physical inactivity costs $24 billion per year.
  Cardiovascular diseases cost $327 billion per year.
  Cancer costs $107 billion per year.
  Here is another example. Obesity costs our nation $70 billion per 
year. In a recent report titled ``Promoting Health for Young People 
through Physical Activity and Sports,'' the CDC states that it is 
increasingly important that children from pre-kindergarten to 12th 
grade receive physical education every day, as well as after-school 
sports programs. According to Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, the director of the 
CDC, ``We are facing a serious public health program . . . we have an 
epidemic of obesity among youth, and we are seeing a troubling rise in 
cardiovascular risk factors, including type 2 diabetes among young 
people.''
  With increased physical education, our children will be less likely 
to suffer from obesity, and in turn lower the risk type 2 diabetes.
  Increased awareness about disease prevention and health promotion 
will never totally prevent illness, but it can reduce the cost of 
treating preventable diseases. It can save millions of dollars.
  For instance, sun-block is proven to prevent some skin cancers. If 
every person who spent prolonged periods of time outside, protected 
themselves adequately from the sun's harmful rays, many incidents of 
skin cancer could be prevented. It is that easy.
  Early detection helps to lower costs of diseases in the long run. If 
everyone had regular physicals and screenings, many diseases could be 
detected early and treated long before they advance to serious, 
incurable, and terminal stages.
  Clearly, we must make health promotion a national priority.
  The sad part is, our government invests very little to help educate 
people and promote healthier living.
  As I stated earlier, it is estimated that out of the $1.5 trillion 
spent annually on health care, only two to five percent goes to health 
promotion and disease prevention. Government public health activities 
receive 3.2 percent of national health expenditures, according to the 
Health Care Financing Administration. The National Institutes of Health 
(NIH) spent $4.4 billion on prevention research in Fiscal Year 2000.
  Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher believes that the government should 
pursue ``a balanced community health system, a system which balances 
health promotion, disease prevention, early detection and universal 
access to care.'' I couldn't agree more. While it is imperative that 
our nation's research in diseases and medicine continue, we must 
increase our attention to disease prevention.
  Passing this concurrent resolution will make a strong statement that 
the health of all Americans is a national priority.
  As the generation of baby boomers quickly approaches retirement, the 
education and promotion of health and the lengthening of life-spans 
becomes even more important.
  Keeping people healthy should be our number one goal.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

                          ____________________