Op-Ed: ‘Health in All’ Policies Needed Within Reform Efforts
In California "and as a nation, we spend 96% of health expenditures on medical services and only 4% on preventing disease and promoting health," Stephen Shortell -- dean of the School of Public Health at UC-Berkeley -- and Carmen Nevarez -- president of the American Public Health Association and executive vice president of the Public Health Institute -- write in a Sacramento Bee opinion piece. Shortell and Nevarez write that the "philosophy of 'health in all' policies" includes "efforts that link our public health and medical institutions with our education, agriculture, housing, transportation and related sectors." They conclude that addressing "the underlying behavioral, social and environmental determinants of health will have a greater impact on our health status and economy" than just extending coverage to more individuals under the health reform law.
- "Prevention Is the Key to Getting a Handle on Health Care Costs" (Shortell/Nevarez, Sacramento Bee, 10/26).