Keys to Cutting Medicare Costs
Ken Thorpe of Emory University has analyzed Medicare Advantage programs and estimates that Medicare could conservatively cut 5-10% of its total spending by focusing on preventing chronic disease and providing better-coordinated care for those with chronic conditions. This could translate into hundreds of billions of dollars saved. For example, one quarter of Medicare beneficiaries have diabetes. A…
Read MoreFitness in Middle-age Improves Future Health
Middle-age cardiovascular fitness pays off handsomely over the next 26 years! Participants (19,000) with a mean age of 49 were assessed for baseline fitness and health, then followed for 26 years. The 20% in the highest fitness category experienced only half the prevalence of chronic conditions (i.e. ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabeties, COPD, lung and…
Read MoreExercise Benefits the Sick more than the Well
In 2008 the U.S. Federal Government issued new exercise guidelines for the general population. A recent survey examined the reduction in mortality experienced by people who followed these recommendations. The study was based on nearly 250,000 people. People who met the aerobic activity goals experienced substantial survival benefits. Interestingly, those who benefited most were sick…
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