WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) introduced legislation today to change the way that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, calculates the potential long-term cost savings of preventive health care, such as increased screenings or changes in people’s behavior.

The legislation, known as the Preventive Health Savings Act of 2019, would allow the top Democrat and Republican lawmakers on either the House Budget, Ways and Means, or Energy and Commerce Committees to request a CBO analysis of the potential long-term cost savings that would be created by certain preventive measures beyond the existing 10-year window. Specifically, the legislation would allow the committee leaders to request an analysis of a preventative measure’s potential cost-savings for a 10, 20 or 30-year period.

“As a physician, I have witnessed firsthand the lifesaving potential of preventive health care services and screenings. In the 21st century, Americans are fortunate that preventive care can reduce both the human and monetary costs of disease. As health care innovation continues to advance, Congress remains ill-equipped to properly budget for long-term costs,” said Burgess. “Allowing the CBO to project past the current ten year scoring window will provide for a more accurate calculation of the savings of preventive health program, and will allow Congress to better serve the health care needs of the American people.”

“The healthier we are as a society, the less we have to spend on health care,” DeGette said. “That’s why it’s critical, as we look for ways to make health care more affordable for all Americans, that the CBO be allowed to provide us the most accurate information possible as to how these preventive health measures work to lower our nation’s long-term health care costs.”

To ensure that CBO’s long-term projections link to real scientific data, the legislation defines “preventive health” as “an action designed to avoid future health care costs that is demonstrated by credible and publicly available epidemiological projection models, incorporating clinical trials or observational studies in humans, longitudinal studies, and meta-analysis.” 

This narrow, responsible approach encourages a sensible review of health policy that Congress believes will promote public health, and it will make it easier for us to invest in proven methods of saving lives and money.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four health risk behaviors – lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption – are responsible for much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic diseases. By addressing just these four behaviors, we can alter the trajectory of chronic disease and the health costs associated with them.

A copy of the legislation Burgess and DeGette filed in the House today is available here.

A nearly identical version of the bill was also introduced in the Senate Wednesday by U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Angus King (I-ME).