Public Says Prevention Key Component of Healthcare Reform

The advocacy group Partners for Prevention estimates that more than 117,000 lives could be saved each year if Americans would follow basic prevention steps, such as cancer screenings, quit smoking, or even take one aspirin daily to prevent heart disease.

"Tens of thousands of Americans die needlessly every year because they don't do something as simple as taking an aspirin a day or getting a flu shot," says Robert Gould, president of the nonprofit advocacy group Partnership for Prevention. "It's time for Congress to remove the barriers that hinder people from getting such services. In many cases, their lives may depend upon it."

"A number of obstacles–including lack of coverage as well as co-pay and deductible requirements–currently discourage doctors from providing these services and also discourage many patients from obtaining them," Gould says.

Partnership wants Congress to provide coverage for high-value preventive services in all federal health plans, to encourage it in all private plans, and to remove deductibles and copays. Gould says that three of the five basic prevention services–aspirin counseling, tobacco cessation counseling, and adult flu immunization–save money, while breast and colorectal cancer screenings are cost-effective.

The poll also found that:

• 77% believe prevention will save money, and 72% say investing in prevention is worth it even if it doesn't save money because it will prevent disease and save lives. 57% say they support prevention programs for health and quality-of-life reasons while 21% say they support prevention to lower costs.
• 59% believe the nation needs to put more emphasis on prevention and 15% think there should be more emphasis on treatment. This represents a significant shift toward prevention over the last two decades–in 1987, 45% thought there should be greater emphasis on prevention.

The poll was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies from May 7-12, and is available at www.healthyamericans.org. The margin of error was +/- 3.1%.