Kaiser Permanente Lauds Schwarzenegger's Health Reform Focus

Kaiser Permanente today applauded Gov. Schwarzenegger’s commitment to a healthier California, joining the governor at a capitol press conference focusing on the preventive medicine components of his health care reform proposal.
 
"From our decades of experience in integrating prevention and health promotion into clinical care, we know that well-designed, well-implemented prevention programs can make a real difference in the health of Californians as well as the health of companies," said David Sobel, MD, medical director of patient education and health promotion for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and a primary care physician for 27 years.

"Prevention is a critical investment in a healthier California. We endorse the governor’s comprehensive approach to health care reform. Combating the obesity trend is an important step toward containing health care costs and ensuring health care dollars are spent efficiently. We look forward to working with the governor and legislative leadership in moving toward universal health care with preventive medicine as a cornerstone."

Through systematic, integrated prevention programs and evidence-based care, Kaiser Permanente has reduced mortality rates from heart disease among its Northern California membership by more than 30 percent compared to the general population. Heart disease is no longer the leading cause of death for Kaiser Permanente Northern California members due to prevention and improved clinical care. The prevalence for cigarette smoking among Kaiser Permanente members has been reduced from 12.4 percent in 2002 to 9.2 percent in 2005, compared to a 15.2 percent prevalence rate among all Californians.

"If a comprehensive smoking cessation and prevention program could be extended throughout California we would have over a million fewer smokers, over a half a million fewer deaths, and savings of billions of dollars in lost productivity and excess medical expenses," said Dr. Sobel.

In Southern California, Kaiser Permanente also has demonstrated that a focused effort on preventive care can have measurable results. From 2004-2006, blood pressure control for its patients with hypertension improved by more than 26 percent. Southern California also has the highest breast screening rate among health plans in California, according to the 2006 report card of the California Office of the Patient Advocate.

In the area of obesity, a critical area addressed by the governor’s proposal, Kaiser Permanente has taken a comprehensive approach by combining evidence-based clinical prevention strategies with community-based initiatives that make it easier for people to get healthy food and physical activity as part of everyday life. In California alone, Kaiser Permanente has committed $18.5 million over five years through its Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) initiative — a commitment which earned the not-for-profit organization a place on the Governor’s Honor Roll following the 2005 Healthy California Summit. The HEAL initiative has received national recognition by the Institute of Medicine and the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality for setting the industry standard for obesity prevention.

"The governor’s prevention strategy, like our own work in this area, has a strong and appropriate emphasis on creating healthier workplaces and increasing access to healthy food and physical activity in our neighborhoods and schools," said Dr. Sobel. "These are critical elements of a serious obesity prevention strategy that can turn this epidemic around. Making it easier for people to make healthy choices where they live, work, and play will also address diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic health problems that cut lives short and run up health care costs for everyone."