Scoring and The Preventive Health Savings Act of 2009

In July 2009, the Preventive Health Savings Act of 2009 (HR 3148) was introduced by U.S. Representative Donna Christensen (D-VI), with support from Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and 42 co-sponsors. The legislation was advanced by the Novo Nordisk Government Affairs office, with support from NCDP. HR 3148 will update existing budget law by directing the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide information on the potential cost offsets of preventive health investments by: 1) using epidemiological data to model the progression of chronic illness; and 2) looking beyond the first 10-year window after an investment in preventive health is made. A link to HR 3148 is available below.

Research supporting the legislation—commissioned by NCDP and led by O’Grady Health policy and a team of investigators from the University of Chicago—was published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs on September 1, 2009. The research uses diabetes as a prototypical model of preventive health investment. A link to the full text of the article is also available below.

Scoring and The Preventive Health Savings Act of 2009 News & Press

• "National Changing Diabetes Program Supports Improvements in Health Cost Estimates" (Press Release) – 09/01/2009
• "Research Supports Improving 'Scoring' of Costs and Benefits of Preventive Health Care to Better Inform Federal Budgetary Decisions" (Press Release) – 09/01/2009
• Health Affairs: "Current Methods of Estimating the Cost of Federal Health Initiatives May Underestimate The Impact of Efforts to Combat Chronic Disease." (Press Release) – 09/01/09
• "Study Raises Questions About Cost Savings From Preventive Care" (Washington Post Article) – 09/01/09
• "US Health Reform Estimates Need Long View: Study" (Reuters Article) – 09/01/09
• H.R. 3148 The Preventative Health Savings Act of 2009 (House Resolution) – 07/09/09