LAJ: Study Could Hold the Key to Fighting Chronic Disease

By Travis McCormick, Make Texans Healthy Again
Published in the Lubbock Avalanche Journal — Click here to read original.

For decades, we’ve watched as rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses have skyrocketed across Texas and the nation. The consequences are dire—rising healthcare costs, reduced workforce productivity, and a declining quality of life for millions of Texans. And yet, despite the growing crisis, we still lack a clear, data-driven understanding of why this is happening and what can be done to stop it.

That’s why SB 1645, filed by Lubbock’s own Sen. Charles Perry, is so critical. This bill would commission a comprehensive study at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to examine chronic disease, metabolic health, and healthcare costs in Texas over the last 50 years. By pulling together data from multiple agencies and experts, the study would give policymakers, medical professionals, and the public the facts needed to make informed decisions about our state’s health future.

Texas Medicaid spending has tripled over the last two decades, and chronic diseases now account for 90% of all U.S. healthcare expenditures. But here’s the kicker—many of these diseases are preventable. Instead of waiting until Texans are sick and then paying the bill, shouldn’t we be doing everything we can to prevent illness before it starts?

The problem is, we’re flying blind. We don’t have a clear picture of how dietary changes, food policy, lifestyle shifts, and healthcare interventions have contributed to this crisis—or what we can do to reverse the trend.

SB 1645 and HB 4210 would pull together data from multiple agencies and experts to provide a clearer picture of how dietary and lifestyle patterns have shifted over time and their correlation with rising disease rates. The study would also assess the economic burden of chronic disease—not only on Medicaid and other taxpayer-funded healthcare programs but also on private insurance and employers.

This isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about looking at the facts, analyzing what’s working and what’s not, and using real data—not special interest spin—to guide future health policy.

If you’ve ever tried to get healthier, you know the importance of tracking progress. Whether it’s stepping on the scale, checking your blood pressure, or monitoring your diet, data drives better decisions. Our state needs to do the same.

We can’t fix what we don’t measure. If we are serious about improving public health, reducing healthcare costs, and ensuring future generations of Texans don’t suffer the same fate, we need this study. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of getting the facts.

Texas has the opportunity to lead the nation in tackling the root causes of chronic disease, but we must start with a foundation of knowledge. I urge lawmakers to support SB 1645 and ensure that Texas Tech can lead the charge in uncovering the root causes of our state’s chronic disease crisis.

Travis McCormick is the founder of Make Texans Healthy Again, an advocacy group focused on advancing state-level policies that prioritize prevention, improve nutrition and fitness, and promote transparency, affordability, access, and freedom in healthcare and insurance.