the challenge :: Go beyond improving health care to improving health

Our nation’s success in helping people live longer is creating new challenges for the health care system. As the graph below clearly shows, the number of Americans over age 65 is going to rise dramatically in the next 25 years, increasing demand for health care resources. The Federal Administration on Aging reports that individuals over 65 are hospitalized at over three times the rate of younger individuals.

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Chronic disease and unhealthy lifestyles are also increasing pressure on our health care resources. Nearly one-third of Americans over age 20 are estimated to be obese. Studies have shown that obesity increases the risk of developing a number of health conditions including diabetes, asthma and congestive heart failure, and it significantly complicates other diseases.

As a result, there is a growing emphasis on helping people stay as healthy as they can. This creates a new role for health benefits companies—to help people get more involved in their own health care and to provide them support in taking more responsibility for their health. In particular, we can meet their need for health information that they can find, understand and use.

our part :: What WellPoint is doing to improve the health of the people we serve

Helping members manage their chronic conditions. WellPoint companies identify members who can benefit from assistance in managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and heart failure. Proactive care management programs work closely with members who are at highest risk from chronic illness. As a result, they are less likely to suffer serious problems that require more extensive care. A study of one such program for our members in Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire found that the percentage of participants admitted to the hospital in a given year declined from 23 percent to 9 percent in three years.

We have also found significant decreases in hospitalization for our UniCare members enrolled in disease-related health improvement programs. Hospital days declined by 18 percent for participating members with asthma and by 5 percent for those with congestive heart failure.

Meeting the needs of the 7 percent of WellPoint members most at risk from chronic and complex conditions accounts for 63 percent of our medical costs. By helping these members manage their conditions, we not only help them live healthier lives, but also reduce health care costs to keep premiums affordable.

Providing information for healthy decisions. WellPoint’s Healthy Parenting initiative is a multi-faceted education effort to curb child and adolescent obesity, promote active lifestyles and help people stop smoking.

Through Healthy Parenting, WellPoint supports communications initiatives that assist health care and teaching professionals in educating our communities on prevention, detection and management of health conditions. Examples of this kind of support are the “Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids” guide (Click here for more info.) and a doctor’s desktop reference tool for counseling families with overweight children.

Through outreach and education efforts, Blue Cross of California reduced inappropriate emergency room visits and increased primary care visits among members of the state’s Healthy Families program served by Blue Cross. The Member Rewards Program, a partnership with Wal-Mart, offers parents in the Healthy Families program a choice of gifts—thermometer, helmet set, car seat, or heavy-duty first aid kit—for taking their children to annual doctor visits and getting recommended immunizations.

The WellPoint family of companies offers programs and online tools to help members take control of their health. Anthem Healthy Solutions is a group of programs promoting health education, prevention, detection and management. Some programs are designed to improve members’ health by supporting healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Online tools help members make more informed decisions about a medical diagnosis they’ve received, a recommended procedure or the hospitals they may choose.