Ovations, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, today
announced a global partnership to address the growing epidemic of
chronic disease, which today is responsible for sixty percent of all
deaths worldwide. Ovations is partnering with the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), the Oxford Health Alliance, and health care experts
from around the world to develop specific strategies to address this
critical public health issue in concert with governments,
non-governmental organizations and the private sector globally.
The focus of the initiative will include:
-- Raising awareness of chronic disease and the potential global
impact;
-- Developing, implementing and sharing best practices on
preventing and managing chronic illnesses at the local level;
and
-- Building systems and infrastructure to address chronic disease
that could also be used to manage other diseases more
effectively and sustainably.
"The dramatic rise in chronic disease, if left unaddressed, will
have severe human consequences," said Simon Stevens, Chief Executive
Officer of Ovations, the UnitedHealth Group company dedicated to
improving the health and well-being of Americans ages 50 or older.
"The global economic impact of chronic disease is equally alarming -
costing trillions of dollars, reducing worker productivity, keeping
millions of people in hardship, and straining government budgets at
all levels. Tackling chronic conditions effectively is key to
improving the equity and sustainability of health care systems in the
US and internationally," said Stevens.
The Ovations Approach
In addition to raising awareness of chronic diseases, Ovations and
its partners will focus on creating an effective infrastructure for
sharing the knowledge and skills necessary to prevent, manage and
treat chronic illnesses in developed and developing countries. This
will include improving the cost-effective deployment of human,
technology and financial resources within the national health care
systems.
Ovations will work with governments, non-governmental
organizations, non-profit groups, individuals and private companies to
expand and accelerate effective and practical programs that support
the initiative's goals. As part of UnitedHealth Group's Corporate
Social Responsibility program, Ovations is committing up to $15
million in financial, managerial and in-kind resources over the next
five years in support of the program, which is being developed in
conjunction with the Clinton Global Initiative.
Global Advisory Board Formed
The Company has assembled a Global Advisory Board of leading
health care experts to provide strategic direction and guidance for
the program. Chaired by Dr. Richard Smith, Chief Executive Officer of
UnitedHealth Europe and former editor of the British Medical Journal,
the Advisory Board includes:
-- Sir George A.O. Alleyne, Pan American Health Organization -
Regional Office of the WHO
-- Dr. Julio Frenk, The Gates Foundation
-- Dr. Roger I. Glass, Director of the NIH's Fogarty
International Center and Associate Director for the
organization's international programs
-- Dr. Lauren Leroy, Grantmakers in Health
-- Dr. Liming Li, Vice President, Chinese Academy of Medical
Science/Peking Union Medical College
-- Dr. John Mach, Chief Executive Officer, Evercare Health Care
-- Dr. Stephen MacMahon, Principal Director, University of
Sydney, George Institute
-- Dr. Victor Matsudo, President, Physical Fitness Research
Center of Sao Caetano do Sul - CELAFISCS, and the founder of
Agita Mundo, an international organization dedicated to the
promotion of physical activity
-- Dr. Bongani Mayosi, University of Cape Town
-- Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
-- Dr. Nizal Sarrafzadegan, Director, Isfahan Cardiovascular
Research Center
-- Marcia Smith, former Chief Executive Officer, Evercare Health
Care
-- Dr. Derek Yach, member of the board of the Oxford Health
Alliance, an international partnership of governments, NGOs
and corporations, which is confronting the epidemic of chronic
diseases; Director, Global Health Policy for PepsiCo; Advisor
to the Clinton Global Initiative; and former Executive
Director of Non-communicable Diseases at the World Health
Organization.
"We need to apply what we know about managing, treating and
preventing chronic disease at the local level around the world," said
Dr. Smith. "This type of public-private partnership is the best way to
identify, implement and share practical solutions for preventing and
managing chronic disease globally. This approach is informed by the
resources, expertise, commitment, knowledge and understanding of the
local circumstances in countries around the world."
"Already, the rising incidence of chronic illnesses is having an
especially negative impact in the developing world - but if they are
left unaddressed, the consequences could be catastrophic," said Dr.
Glass of the NIH. "There are many research questions that need to be
answered. We're proud to be part of this initiative, and expect that
it will play an instrumental role in addressing this pressing public
health challenge."
Spring Summit to Launch and Coordinate Global Efforts
There will be a Spring Summit at the National Institutes of
Health's campus in Bethesda, MD on May 7 and 8. Co-hosted by the NIH,
the event will bring together more than 20 experts on chronic disease
from around the world to define global priorities, identify the most
effective practical measures for preventing and managing chronic
disease, and begin to organize collective efforts to fight the growth
of chronic disease. Thomas Gaziano, MD, a member of the Harvard
University faculty and an expert on cardiovascular disease in
developing countries, has written a position paper that will form the
basis of the discussion at the Spring Summit.
The Impact of Chronic Diseases
In 2005, chronic diseases - including cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory disease - claimed nearly 35
million lives worldwide, a number that is expected to rise by more
than 40% by 2020. These diseases are an interconnected epidemic often
driven by urbanization, rapid industrialization and the resulting
impact on lifestyle - poor diet, lack of physical activity,
environmental strains, and the use of tobacco and alcohol cause most
chronic diseases.
These long-term illnesses are not primarily diseases of the
well-to-do, a common misperception. In fact, nearly 80% of those
suffering from chronic disease are among poor populations in the
developing world, where few nations are adequately prepared to handle
the health care burden of both acute infectious diseases and chronic
illnesses. Developing countries bear the greatest burden of this
growing public health crisis, further impeding their economic growth.
In just four countries - China, India, Brazil and Russia - it is
estimated that the loss of national income from heart disease, stroke
and diabetes totals more than $1.1 trillion.
About Ovations and UnitedHealth Group
Ovations, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest
company in the U.S. dedicated to meeting the health and well-being
needs of people age 50 and older. It provides chronic disease
management services, health insurance, Medicare-managed care and
related services, access to prescription and non-prescription
medications, and other healthy living products. It has a long track
record of innovative partnerships with governments and not-for-profit
organizations.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) is a diversified health and
well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. The
company directs its resources into designing products, providing
services and applying technologies that improve access to health and
well-being services, simplify the health care experience, promote
quality, and make health care more affordable.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a
broad spectrum of products and services through six operating
businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, Uniprise,
Specialized Care Services and Ingenix. Through its family of
businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves approximately 70 million
individuals nationwide. Learn more about UnitedHealth Group at
www.unitedhealthgroup.com.
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(See attached backgrounder on chronic diseases)
Backgrounder on Chronic Disease
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The Human Toll of Chronic Disease
Chronic disease - cardiovascular disease, long-term respiratory
disease, cancer and diabetes - are the leading cause of death in the
world, killing more than 35 million people in 2005 alone, a number
that is expected to rise by more than 40% by 2020, six times more than
the number of people who died from all communicable diseases such as
TB, malaria and HIV/AIDS combined. These diseases also have a
profoundly negative impact on the quality of life of those who suffer
from them.
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-- Sixty percent of deaths around the world, encompassing both
developed and developing nations, are the result of chronic
disease.(1)
-- Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the
United States(2):
-- More than 90 million Americans live with long-term illnesses.
-- Heart disease and stroke, the most common cardiovascular
diseases, and the #1 and #3 causes of death for both men and
women in the United States, account for nearly 40% of all annual
deaths.
-- Today there are one billion people in the world who are
overweight or obese - 200 million in China alone.
-- In 1991, only four U.S. states had obesity prevalence rates
of 15-19% and no states had rates at or above 20%. In 2004,
seven states had obesity prevalence rates of 15-19%, and 42
states had rates at or above 20%, including nine with rates
over 25%.
-- Chronic diseases are a far more significant - and growing - problem
in the developing world.3
-- Eighty percent of long-term disease deaths are in low and
middle-income countries. In China and India, long-term diseases
account for 70% to 80% of deaths.
-- Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death in
developing countries.
-- The number of individuals with diabetes is estimated to increase
from 171 million to 366 million by 2030 - or more than 19,000 new
patients every day for the next 20 years.(4)
-- Developing countries will bear the greatest burden, with 81% of
global diabetes cases by 2030.
-- Four of the five largest diabetes populations in the world are
in Asia - India, China, Pakistan and Japan(5).
-- Cancer incidence increased 19% between 1990 and 2000, mainly in
developing countries.(6)
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The Economic Impact
The economic impact of chronic disease is dramatic - costing
trillions of dollars, reducing worker productivity, straining
government budgets at all levels and keeping millions of people in
poverty. Nearly 80% of those suffering from chronic disease are among
the poor populations in the developing world, where few nations are
adequately prepared to handle the health care burden of both
infectious diseases and chronic illnesses.
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-- The medical care costs of Americans with chronic diseases account
for more than 75% of the nation's $1.4 trillion medical care costs.
The United States cannot effectively address escalating health care
costs without addressing the problem of chronic diseases.(7)
-- The direct and indirect costs of diabetes are nearly $132
billion a year.
-- The estimated direct and indirect costs associated with smoking
exceed $75 billion annually.
-- In 2001, approximately $300 billion was spent on all
cardiovascular diseases. Over $129 in lost productivity was due
to cardiovascular disease.
-- The direct medical costs associated with physical inactivity
were nearly $76.6 billion in 2000.
-- It is estimated that the loss of national income in just four
nations - China, India, Russia and Brazil - from heart disease,
stroke and diabetes totals more than $1.1 trillion.(8)
-- WHO estimates that the costs of treating diabetes may reach 25% of
the total budget of Pacific Islands and Caribbean states.(9)
-- It is estimated that one out of every three hospital bed-days in
Latin America are occupied for diabetes-related causes, with
average costs for a year of diabetes care at roughly $550 per
person, exceeding most per capita gross domestic product health
expenditures.(10)
-- Thirty percent of poor Chinese households in 2005 attributed their
poverty to health care costs.(11)
-- In India, payroll losses from cardiovascular disease in a single
year (2000) were estimated at $198 million.(12)
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(1) World Health Organization
(2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(3) World Health Organization
(4) Ibid
(5) BBC, 02/22/06
(6) World Health Organization
(7) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(8) World Health Organization
(9) Ibid
(10) Nature Medicine, (January 2006)
(11) Ibid
(12) World Health Organization
