This country has a “react to the illness” and “take care of the sick patient” as a last line of defense. What’s being done before getting to the emergency, life and death state when the care is the most expensive?
The offensive approach. Where if the focus instead of just helping the sick before they become sick? More preventative medicine so the total cost of health care would be less. The nation would be healthier, happier and health care costs not steadily climbing. Taking a bigger chunk of the weekly paycheck. Or the added stress of trying to get by without the coverage all together, hoping nothing happens. Preventative health care. Heading it off at the pass is the pratical cowboy term of yesteryear.
The world has lots of problems, social issues needing addressing. But in our own country, the most powerful nation on the planet by most estimates, we need to step up the ammunition to hit the targets of what obesity, smoking do to this country. This is not an attack on folks in that class. But unless you address what are two of the major causes for many of the patients wheeled thru the corridors of our hospital day in and day out, how can you adopt a national health care program, or blanket that is affordable and well run?
These two health concerns that add billions to the medical system workload and that’s cost hurts job production have far reaching complications. Think of the cronically ill due to just these two areas treated at our local hospitals nationally.
Think of the mental health of the sufferer, the families involved, not just the financial burden to the country. Education, strict concentration on better life style, healthy living early on in the schools would pay big dividends all the way around.
The patients joints that hurt from carrying 200 pounds more than God designed the body to walk with, deal with is a medical condition stemming from simply too much weight. Unhealthy body fat then overtaxes other major body systems, organs and the spiral accelerates into a nose dive. An expensive, drawn out decline lacking a happy ending.
This focus on better health approach is one big prong of the health care trident. Another issue that drains the health care program in this country is welfare abuse of the care provided free of charge. There is the animosity of those that can not afford coverage of a legitimate illness. Or have it but with medical charge deductibles climbing avoid the trip for medical attention all together.
One part of the population can run to the emergency room for a running nose. Another segment without the free drive thru medical option hope the ache or pain goes away in a few days. It usually does after death occurs. That’s why the hurry to pass a national health care package should be tempered, taken apart a piece at a time with a component added addressing what additionally can be done to prevent the costly medical condition, procedures because of over eating, smoking.