A Little Preventative Medicine Can Go a Long Way

12/17/2009

When it comes to reining in ever-rising healthcare costs, preventative medicine and healthy lifestyle decisions have long been seen as an efficient way to benefit consumers, insurance companies and medical institutions.

This is because over time, it costs far more money to treat chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer than to avoid them in the first place.

One success in this area that has garnered some national attention is a program in Massachusetts aimed at helping people quit smoking, improving their health while also avoiding high medical fees.

A New York Times report notes that Medicaid recipients in that state are eligible for 180 days worth of drugs that help people quit smoking, as well as up to 16 counseling sessions per year - all with copayments that reportedly cost less than $3.

The newspaper noted that the state has spent $11 million on the program in two years, and has seen about one in six smokers in the Medicaid program quit since then, resulting in lower rates of hospitalization, heart attacks, asthma, and other potentially costly and medically dangerous situations.

Even people who don't smoke can potentially save money on future health premiums and medical costs by following a healthy diet and exercising.

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