Chronic Disease Care
In California in 2005, asthma accounted for 1.9 million missed school days, two million missed work days and nearly 500,000 emergency department visits, according to a study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
The study notes that one-fifth of children and adults who are uninsured do not receive regular treatment for asthma, driving up direct and indirect costs of the disease.
To address such problems, the authors recommend improving access to health care services and controlling environmental factors, such as allergens and pollution (Meng et al., UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, July 2008).