Wisconsin is ranked 20th in a new national report from United Health Foundation that looks at the health of each state’s senior population. Dr. Rhonda Randall, a senior adviser with the group, says in Wisconsin, 80 percent of seniors have four or more chronic conditions which leads to big health care costs.
“We see two-thirds of our nation’s spending on Medicare for those who have four or more chronic conditions,” she says, adding that a number of the conditions like heart disease and diabetes can be prevented or treated earlier.
Randall says seniors can become healthier by being physically active, seeing a physician for annual physicals, and getting preventative care.
In all, the research looked at 34 different measures of health ranging from smoking to obesity.
