Nearly two weeks ago, we spoke with Chet Burrell, CEO of CareFirstBlueCrossBlueShield, Maryland’s largest health insurer. He told us that access to health insurance isn’t a quick fix for the chronic conditions that afflict many Marylanders: "Heart disease mixed with hypertension, mixed with diabetes, mixed with asthma, on multiple medications. Chronic disease endures.” We wanted to follow-up on that sobering thought. How do chronic conditions fit into the picture of our health care system?
With Sheilah Kast by phone to talk about it is Gerard Anderson, a professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He’s looked deeply at how we treat chronic conditions in the U.S.
Here's a link to a 2010 report on chronic conditions that Professor Anderson wrote for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. And, here's Medicaid's website dedicated to the prevention of chronic disease.
Audio for this segment will be available by the end of the day.
