Grand Junction, McAllen contrasted: Better health brings lower costs
While Grand Junction has some of the highest-quality and lowest-cost heathcare in the nation, McAllen, Tex., has some of the lowest-quality and highest-cost. According to disease rates calculated by Daniel Gilden in “The Health Care Blog,” McAllen is twice as unhealthy as Grand Junction.
That raises a question: Is Grand Junction merely lucky in a healthier population, or is its emphasis on prevention and coverage of the poor actually having a major effect on preventing these illnesses?
Below is Gilden’s comparison of diseases — ranging from diabetes to heart disease and arthritis — between residents of the counties surrounding Grand Junction and McAllen.
Disease Prevalence among Medicare recipients, 2006
| Single Selected Condition Rates per 1,000 |
|
|---|---|
| McAllen, Texas | Grand Junction, Colo. |
| Diabetes | |
| 422 | 145 |
| Ischemic Heart Disease | |
| 443 | 211 |
| Heart Failure | |
| 168 | 74 |
| Cerebro-Vascular Disease | |
| 202 | 56 |
| Chronic Respiratory Disease | |
| 266 | 169 |
| Arthritis | |
| 405 | 239 |
| Dementia | |
| 107 | 51 |
| Parkinson's Disease | |
| 20 | 12 |
| Multiple Conditions (Percentage of Population) | |
| None of the Selected Conditions | |
| 23% | 46% |
| One Condition Only | |
| 22% | 30% |
| Multiple Conditions | |
| 55% | 24% |
Source: TheHealthCareBlog.com
