Memo 1 about health policy analyses - Essay Example

Memo about Health Policy Analyses Task: [Insert] [Insert] August 31 Reducing health care spendingIntroduction An increase in chronic ailments and obesity has resulted to high expenditure on health care. Obese individuals spend almost forty percent on health care than individuals with normal weight. Research shows that lifestyle alterations in a program aimed at preventing diabetes assists in reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases. In addition, community programs that incorporate these principles have witnessed a drastic reduction in health care savings.

The weight loss programs could save close to $1.8 billion- $2.3 billion in excess of 10 years. Additionally, the estimated savings would be $ 3.0-$ 3.7 billion. Expansion of a weight loss program constituting of obese adults would aid in saving Medicare expenditure. Issues The lifestyle intervention program had the capacity to generate weight loss and the initial phase of this program involved random global clinical trials. The trials demonstrated the ability of this program in generating weight loss and preventing the development of prediabetes to diabetes (Thorpe & Yang, 2011).

The participants of this program were obese adults and the immediate goal was to attain and maintain a seven percent weight loss of an individual. Moreover, the program was inclusive of exercise and behavioral alterations that lasted for six month and proved to be the most effective approach in weight loss. It led to an average of seven percent weight loss among the participants, which also persisted after a follow up of three years. In addition, it minimized the occurrence of diabetes among the participants aged twenty-five and above by a margin of fifty eight percent (Thorpe & Yang, 2011).

Moreover, it reduced diabetes by seventy percent to the participants aged sixty and above. The community-based program had the same goal of attaining a seven percent weight loss and inclusive of a curriculum developed to accomplish diet, exercise, and behavioral alterations (Thorpe & Yang, 2011). This program generate reductions comparable to those achieve in the lifestyle program. It achieved a six percent weight loss after six months. This program was advantageous because it involved low administration costs.

The low costs of the program generated a decrease in health care expenditure over a period of two years. The health law has prompted the existence of a body responsible for funding these programs. Moreover, this law has enabled identification of approaches aimed at improving the worth of health care, and minimizing costs. The lifestyle intervention and community based programs have demonstrated their capacity in decreasing weight and lowering the prevalence of chronic diseases among the adult population (Narayan & Williams, 2010).

Developing of these programs globally will propel the federal administration to associate with the private sector in encouraging wide enrollment to weight loss programs.Conclusion High obesity rates and chronic diseases are the prime contributors of increased Medicare expenditure. However, these weight loss programs prove to be an efficient means of minimizing chronic diseases and lowering the growth of Medicare expenditure. These programs have already shown that they have the capacity of achieving an average of seven percent weight loss to the obese individuals.

It is also surprising that they have minimized the occurrence of diabetes among the participants aged twenty-five and above by a margin of fifty eight percent.Recommendations A global development of such programs for individuals at risk both prior and after attaining the age of sixty-five is an approach that should be undertaken. This would minimize the potential growth in Medicare expenditure. Medicare savings can vary from seven billion to fifteen billion dollars depending on extensive eligibility of the program and intensity of program involvement.

ReferencesNarayan, K., & Williams, D. (2010). Diabetes Public Health: From Data to Policy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Thorpe, K. & Yang, Z. (2011). Enrolling people with prediabetes Ages 60-64 in a proven weight loss program could save Medicare $7billion or more, Health Affairs, 30 (9), 1673-1679.