Health is Where You Live, Learn, Work and Play Looking Beyond Health Care to Improve the Health of All Americans Alliance for Health Reform May 15, 2009

We spend more on health care than any other country $2,000,000,000,000 a year 17% of national economy...and growing $1 Trillion increase in health care spending over the last decade But, we are not the healthiest people For the first time, we are raising a generation of children who may live sicker and shorter lives than their parents 1 in 3 Americans are obese Nearly 17 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes Nearly 2,400 Americans die from heart disease every day 1 in 2 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime Nearly 1 in 10 children have asthma Americas Health Crisis

Why are some Americans so much healthier than others? Why isnt America one of the healthiest nations in the world? Commission Charge

Why a Commission? Raise visibility for the issue Expand the dialogue on health To non-medical factors To social factors Develop fresh ideas & solutions Make recommendations Increase understanding Motivate action Move to solutions

Lack of awareness about the problems and lack of policy action Little distinction between health and health care Strong feeling that individuals are responsible for their own health Need a bridge between ideological and political differences; fresh approach may appeal to both parties Why Now? Timing is Right: Changes in Washington and National Discussion on Health Reform Presents a Window of Opportunity to Broaden the Conversation

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build A Healthier America Commission Goals and Objectives Raise awareness of shortfalls in Americans health and highlight promising interventions beyond medical care to improve health and longevity Recommend policy interventions – public and private – to improve Americans health both in the near and longer term Inspire confidence and public will to take meaningful steps towards improved health for all Americans

A Solid Infrastructure for Research, Action and Outreach Central Offices GWU Department of Health Policy Research Arm UCSF Center on Social Disparities in Health Communications Partners Burness Communications Health360Strategies Board and Staff

Commission Approach Raise awareness and identify areas for action by: –Target decision-makers in public and private sector –Reach beyond health care to non-traditional allies and advocates –Make academic research on social inequalities more accessible to public and private sector policy makers –Conduct work in a resolutely nonpartisan fashion –Design a plan that is sustainable, flexible and relevant