Overview Heart and blood vessel diseases kill more Americans every year than any other disease, and they often strike without warning symptoms. According to the American Heart Association, the devastating effects of diseases of the cardiovascular system have a health as well as economic cost. Consider the following FACT: An estimated 59 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD). FACT: Every day, more than 2,600 Americans die of CVD- an average of one person every 33 seconds! FACT: CVD will cost Americans an estimated $326.6 billion in 2000 in direct health care and related costs. FACT: CVD is the leading cause of premature, permanent workforce disabilities in the U.S. FACT: Almost one in six people killed by CVD are under age 65. FACT: CVD claims more lives each year than the next seven leading causes of death combined. Impact of Preventive Medicine Numerous studies have been conducted on evaluating the merit of preventive health initiatives. Time and time again, these cases point to the overwhelming effectiveness- from the standpoint of both health and economic considerations- of managing one’s health through proactive, preventive measures. The following examples illustrate preventive medicine's positive impact: Merrill Lynch For its 40,000 employees, Merrill Lynch instituted an in-house, preventive health screening program. Over five years, the company reduced its medical and related expenses by $25 million, and used the savings to increase its employee health benefits package. Kaiser Permantente In a three-year test involving 467 individuals, Kaiser Permanente developed a blood pressure monitoring program. Average healthcare costs for individuals participating in this three-year program were nearly 30 percent lower than for similar, non-participating individuals. Ford Motor Company Working with the University of Michigan, Ford created a blood pressure monitoring and intervention program for 5,000 employees. In five years, Ford realized a return on investment of $2.72 saved for every $1 spent.