By Hasti Taghi
IDAHO FALLS - "A lot of illnesses affecting Americans today are easily preventable."
Roger Cushman of the Community Family Clinic sees patients dealing with preventative diseases everyday.
"I'd say a majority of patients, honestly."
That trend seems worse during tough economic times as patients put off visits to their doctor until the last minute.
"So much time and money is lost on trying to correct and reverse an illness than to just prevent it," says Cushman.
So, the federal government is making prevention a large focus of federal healthcare.
"Preventable diseases cost the system 3 to 4 times more money than the average person," says Josh Tolman, Mountain View Hospital.
The department of health and human services is putting new emphasis on programs that could help prevent things like diabetes, heart disease, and in some cases, even cancer.
"This is an investment in the future. Putting money in preventative care will do wonders in driving down the cost of long-term chronic management," says Tolman.
The money will go toward encouraging regular checkups, putting more money toward blood tests, and educating the public on a healthier lifestyle. All measures hoping to bring down healthcare costs in the long run.
States will get to apply for a portion of that money. The deadline for that is November.
