A new poll released today shows voters across the political spectrum support health care delivery system reforms that place greater emphasis on prevention.
Sixty-five percent of Democrats and 62 percent of Republicans agree that the current system places far less emphasis on prevention than it should.
Prevention Institute, a leading proponent of health care reforms that focus on keeping Americans healthy, sees this as a testament that Americans are invested in prevention: "Reforming health care requires prevention at the same time as it requires coverage for all as a way to save lives and money. Quality prevention must focus on making our communities healthier. The individuals and families represented in the poll desperately want to see a change in the way our country approaches health care. With billions of taxpayer dollars at stake, we've seen that community prevention saves money both inthe short term and long term. More importantly, prevention saves lives."- Larry Cohen, Executive Director, Prevention Institute
The poll results, released today by Lake Research Partners and Public Opinion Strategies, are based on telephone surveys of 1,000 voters nationwide conducted July 6-9, 2009.
America's current beleaguered health care system exhausts roughly one-sixth of the gross domestic product and leaves businesses crippled by skyrocketing health insurance costs. Yet, it still fails to provide care to millions of Americans and does little to address widespread national epidemics like chronic disease, obesity and diabetes. Both the House and Senate health reform bills currently include prevention as a strong element. The current prevention provisions focus on promoting healthy
community environments, which have been proven to lead to healthier people.
Prevention Institute is a non-profit national center dedicated to improving community health and well-being, and is recognized as the nation's leading expert on prevention.
CONTACT:
Larry Cohen, Prevention Institute (510) 444-7738
Sana Chehimi, Prevention Institute (510) 444-7738 or (510) 681-3534
