7.3 Low Rates of Disease and Mortality

A study by the New England Healthcare Institute, The Boston Paradox: Lots of Health Care, Not Enough Health, shows that 50% of health outcomes are determined by healthy behaviors and options and an additional 20% by environment, while only 10% is based on access to health care (and the remaining 20% by genetics), yet spending priorities are almost opposite these figures: of the $1.9 trillion spent on health nationally, 88% is spent on access to care and only 4% on improving healthy behaviors. This is generally true in Massachusetts as well. The Massachusetts Health Council's 2008 Common Health for the Commonwealth report concluded that Massachusetts "must change our priorities from a predominately "sickness response system" to one that supports an increasing and effective investment in prevention and wellness which can reduce the utilization and costs of the health care system, save lives and much suffering." In addition to chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension, prevention sexually transmitted diseases, drug addition and violence are critical to healthy people and communities.