The occurrence of chronic diseases is increasing in the world. These conditions tend to become common with age. In the United States, one in every two adults has at least one chronic disease. Also, over two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries aged at least 65 years have two or more of these conditions ( Buttorff, Ruder, & Bauman, 2017; McPhail, 2016) . There is a growing concern about the increasing prevalence and cost of managing chronic diseases in the country. Much of the expenditure is connected to the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions for instance cardiovascular disease (mainly stroke and heart disease), diabetes, and cancer. The risk of developing such illnesses is high in developed countries due to the sedentary lifestyle, and it increases with advancing age.
It is known that the population of the United States is aging and thus there is an increased danger of developing chronic conditions in the future ( McPhail, 2016 ). The numbers will be high in the nation, and this dramatic change will require effective management of chronic conditions if the country wants to achieve a state of health. Chronic diseases and mental health account for 90 percent of the annual health care budget of $3.5 trillion (CMS, 2017). Care for patients with chronic diseases accounts for more than 78 percent of all spending on healthcare. This puts the conditions among the costliest to manage, besides being the most prevalent. They account for about seven out of every ten deaths in the US. The CDC estimates that it requires about $5,300 per person during the treatment every year. A more substantial proportion of healthcare insurance goes to the treatment of chronic diseases. Ninety-six cents per dollar of Medicare and 83 cents per dollar for Medicaid are spent on these diseases ( Buttorff, Ruder, & Bauman, 2017) . This is an economic burden as the diseases have a higher cost while can be prevented. The conditions also affect the quality of life and have other related impacts on the business market such as absenteeism.
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The healthcare profession is also feeling the brunt of the prevalence of chronic diseases. With the increasing number of patients, the practitioners are focusing on the treatment as there is no absolute cure. Given that the chronic conditions are comorbid, it is a burden to the healthcare profession because it is difficult to find a physician who is specialized in more than one area. With the ongoing shortage of physicians, the impact of these conditions cannot go unnoticed ( Brooks, 2003) . The healthcare system relies on extended care teams including nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and physician assistants. The future burden of chronic diseases is clear and attributes to a range of common conditions. But, it is imperative to understand that these diseases do not occur in isolation. The more a person lives with one condition and advances in age, they become at risk of multiple processes ( McPhail, 2016) . This creates a range of diverse and complex situation for the healthcare delivery system. Every disease has its own needs and requires the patient to adjust to meet them. Some of these needs are contradictory to one another and thus posing a challenge to the affected people and the delivery of healthcare services. For instance, when a person has diabetes and develops arthritis or depression, he or she may have impaired functioning that will cause substantial barriers to the implementation of lifestyle adjustments, and they may not adhere to the regimen ( Nolte & McKee, 2008) .
The solution to this problem of chronic diseases is creating a management model and incorporating it into public health. Disease management is a logical framework that can help reduce the costs and suffering attributed to chronic illness. Therefore, it is imperative to create strategies that can avert the onset of these conditions and help the people who develop them, and their caregivers. It should also be able to prevent unnecessary associated complications and control the diseases. The main goals of managing disease are to avoid the onset of chronic conditions, improve the quality of life for the people who get them and minimize the cost of care.
Chronic disease management strategies should include primary and secondary initiatives base on goals mentioned above. Primary prevention strategies involve the prevention of the onset of chronic disease by focusing on healthy behaviors. Evidence shows that the majority of these conditions arise from are become worse due to personal lifestyles. Secondary management strategies tend to mitigate the impact these diseases have once they manifest and tends to focus on the necessary medical tests and treatments that are required to control the illness.
Lessening the prevalence and impact of these chronic conditions will, therefore, require multiple coordinated approaches and needs the participation of the patients, and their families, healthcare providers, the public and private sector employers, and insurance payers. Chronic disease management strategies must incorporate several aspects. First, education is important ( Brooks, 2003) . The patients, their families, caregivers, health care professionals, insurers, and employers must have accurate information regarding chronic diseases and the management for effective programs and policies ( Nolte & McKee, 2008) . Secondly, there should be an effective form of data collection to determine the most reasonable way of targeting resources towards the initiatives. The government should also run enticement programs and campaigns to help the general public develop lifestyles that favor the control of these diseases. It should also ensure that there is a promotion of disease management for state employees and the beneficiaries of public medical health assistance programs ( Nolte & McKee, 2008) . The healthcare providers should adopt the use of treatment guidelines and teaching the importance of disease management and a healthy lifestyle to the patients. On their part, the clients and their family caregivers should be informed and literate about the prevalence of chronic conditions, prevention, and management and thus becoming empowered to lead healthy lives ( Brooks, 2003) .
References
Brooks, P. M. (2003). The impact of chronic illness: partnerships with other healthcare professionals. The Medical Journal of Australia , 179 (5), 260-262.
Buttorff, C., Ruder, T., & Bauman, M. (2017). Multiple chronic conditions in the United States. Santa Monica (CA): RAND Corporation .
Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2017). National Health Expenditure Data for 2016
McPhail, S. M. (2016). Multimorbidity in chronic disease: impact on health care resources and costs. Risk management and healthcare policy , 9 , 143.
Nolte, E., & McKee, M. (Eds.). (2008). Caring for people with chronic conditions: a health system perspective . McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
