Health News: Heart Disease And Stroke Costs Will Triple

The cost of treating heart disease and stroke in the United States is expected to triple in the next 20 years, to $818 billion.

According to the American Heart Association this $545 billion increase in costs for treating heart disease and stroke is largely due to the aging of the population.

"The burden of heart disease and stroke on the U.S. health care system and American families will be substantial," said Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

The projected increase in costs will be based on the current rate of heart disease adjusted for changes in the overall age of Americans and the anticipated racial mix of patients.

Experts noted that these estimates do not take into account the additional costs for those who have more than one condition, or new treatments that might come along, To curb this rise in costs, the panel said that effective prevention strategies are needed if we are to limit the growing burden of cardiovascular disease.

American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown said in a news release that "unhealthy behaviors and unhealthy environments have contributed to a tidal wave of risk factors among many Americans. Early intervention and evidence-based public policies are absolute musts to significantly reduce alarming rates of obesity, hypertension, tobacco use and cholesterol levels."

Right now, 36.9 percent of Americans have some type of heart disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and other conditions. By 2030, that number will rise to 40.5 percent of the population, or about 116 million people, according to the report.

The biggest increases are thought to be in stroke, up 24.9 percent, and heart failure, up 25 percent.
Between 2010 and 2030, the cost of caring for patients with heart disease will go from $273 billion to $818 billion, the panel predicted.

In addition, heart disease will cost billions more in lost productivity, increasing from about $172 billion in 2010 to $276 billion in 2030. These losses include days missed from work or home tasks because of illness, plus lost earnings due to premature death.

There are also a number of low-cost, high-value cardiovascular protective therapies that are available but are underutilized in routine clinical care that could also help to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

These include keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control, not smoking and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which means eating a healthy diet, getting exercise and keeping your weight down. These strategies have been proven to substantially reduce the risk of heart disease.

For more information on affordable critical illness insurance protection which can provide a tax-free lump sum cash payment upon diagnosis of a heart attack or stroke, viasit the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance's website http://www.crititcalillnessinsuranceinfo.org

Why Don't Agents Sell Critical Illness Insurance

When I founded the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance back in 1998, it was commonly believed that only insurance agents who specialized in the field would be successful.  A decade later, more than 80 percent of all LTCi sales are made by incidental agents and brokers who sell a policy or two every so often.

Now as we start building a new trade organization, the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance (AACII), I face a dilemma.  Why haven't sales of CI products been more robust?  Critical illness insurance was first introduced in the U.S. in 1996.

So, I am using this blog as one way to reach out to insurance agents and brokers.  Both those who have sold CI ... and those who haven't.  Your replies to a few questions (below) would be most appreciated.  It will help me build the industry and your sales.

A major initiative for AACII will be providing agents and brokers with the information and marketing / sales tools they need to find more prospects.  By the way, for an initial period of time these will all be available free of charge via the Association's website.  You can sign-up to receive E-alerts as the website adds features.

The questions.

If you have not sold a critical illness insurance policy, why not?

If you have sold CII, what marketing or sales tool would make it easier for you to sell it more often?

What one question about CI insurance do you want answered (we'll have lots of information on the website).

Please feel free to send me an E-mail to: mailto:jslome@aacii.org and all comments are welcome.

Thank you.  I believe there is enormous potential for the sale of critical illness insurance in the United States.  And, the American Association for Critical Illness insurance will play a vital role in making that happen.