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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., put the focus on the role of public health as an important ingredient in reforming the health care system with a public hearing by the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee that included a presentation by Commissioner Heather Howard, who heads the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
As chairman of the subcommittee, Congressman Pallone is taking a lead role in the national health care reform effort, including public hearings on Capitol Hill and a state-focused initiative that gives the people of New Jersey a role in the reform process. Today's hearing, entitled "Making Health Care Work For American Families: The Role of Public Health," addressed the importance of prevention and education in reducing long-term health costs.
"Bolstering the public health system will be the vital component to making health reform sustainable and to improving health outcomes," said Congressman Pallone. "We must start investing in the prevention of these horrible diseases, rather than just focusing on those who are already sick. This paradigm shift in our resource allocation could potentially save the system billions of dollars per year, not to mention the benefits to patients. Public health means improving the quality of life for individual people, communities, and our society as a whole."
Commissioner Howard welcomed the opportunity to deliver her perspective as New Jersey's top health official and praised Congressman Pallone for his leadership in the national reform effort. Speaking to the subcommittee, Commissioner Howard said that public health programs are key to preventing and treating chronic illness.
"Nearly 80 percent of our health care dollars are spent on chronic illness," Commissioner Howard pointed out. "Until we do what we need to do to improve the health of all Americans we will never be able to get these costs under control. As we enhance prevention - by preventing and managing chronic diseases - we will reduce skyrocketing health care costs and achieve significant cost savings."
A recent analysis by a prominent health care research organization said that effective public health efforts could produce annual savings of more than $16 billion within five years.
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