Look For Healthy People 2020

 Posted on February 10, 2010 in Social Security Disability

In my last blog post, I discussed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) disturbing report analyzing the significant increase in the number of people with disabilities in the United States. In that report, the CDC found that nearly one in five adults reported having a disability. Although the amount of disabled individuals is alarming, something I questioned in the previous blog post was why there was not a finding explaining that increase. With the number of disabled individuals growing and a poor healthcare system in place, this begs the question, what is the government doing to improve the overall health of the citizens in this country? One answer to that question is the Healthy People 2020 initiative.

The Healthy People initiative was established in 1979 by the United States Surgeon General's "Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Healthy People." Upon its inception, Healthy People has set and monitored national health objectives to meet a very broad range of health needs. A new set of objectives is created every decade to account for changes in the health of the nation's citizens and affects all of the segments of the health care community including: treatment to numerous conditions, raised awareness activities, prevention, and community involvement. In order to improve its objectives, Healthy People seeks input from hundreds of health organizations, scholars, doctors, stakeholders, and communities across the country.

Healthy People releases their updated objectives every ten years. In early 2009, Healthy People released their proposed objectives for 2020, which included their goals, focus areas, and criteria for prioritizing objectives and can be viewed on their website at www.healthypeople.gov. Soon, they should be releasing their 2020 objectives along with their guidance for achieving the new decade's targets.

There are several brand new objectives that will be added to the 2020 initiative that are particular to people with disabilities. Under DSC HP2020-14, Healthy People 2020 will aim to "Reduce the proportion of people with disabilities reporting delays in receiving primary and periodic preventive care due to specific barriers." DSC HP2020-14 goes on to include difficulties accessing the provider, no transportation, and inability to afford services as the primary focus of this objective. Other objectives in the new 2020 initiative will include: "increase the number of U.S. master of public health programs that offer graduate-level courses in disability and health; reduce the proportion of older adults with disabilities who use inappropriate medications; and reduce the proportion of people with disabilities who report on non-fatal unintentional injuries that require medical care."

Healthy People 2020 is a broad set of objectives to improve the health care community over the course of the next decade. While it not a specific program that will immediately answer the problematic and sudden increase in the number of people who are disabled, it is something that should be reviewed by anyone conscious about the health system.