The growing burden of chronic disease in America.

©2004 Association of Schools of Public Health In 2000, approximately 125 million Americans (45% of the population) had chronic conditions and 61 million (21% of the population) had multiple chronic conditions. The number of people with chronic conditions is projected to increase steadily for the next 30 years. While current health care financing and delivery systems are designed primarily to treat acute conditions, 78% of health spending is devoted to people with chronic conditions. Quality medical care for people with chronic conditions requires a new orientation toward prevention of chronic disease and provision of ongoing care and care management to maintain their health status and functioning. Specific focus should be applied to people with multiple chronic conditions.