Dr. Richard Snyder, chief medical officer at Independence Blue Cross spoke with KYW‘s Lynne Adkins about the latest Blue Cross Blue Shield Association The Health of America Report, The Impact of Caregiving on Mental and Physical Health.
“Stress increases high blood pressure, hypertension, and so it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are more people who are caregivers who also have high blood pressure,” said Dr. Snyder.
The Health of America Report represents the first time in the health care industry that claims data has been used to study the relationship between health status and caregiving. Pinpointing the medical issues that caregivers face helps to better allocate resources.