Kudos to the folks in Washington who are advancing alternatives to the Affordable Care Act’s over-regulated and expensive health insurance policies. Small-business association health plans and expanding health savings accounts (HSAs) are among several tools to increase health care choices.
However, one element in the medical care cost analysis that is rarely addressed is personal responsibility for one’s health. Politicians are reluctant to “blame the victim” (patients), so they criticize the health care “system.” That misses the point: It is not the government’s job to keep us healthy.
Estimates of 2016 U.S. health care spending average at
$10,345 per person.
Insurance-related costs make up the bulk of the spending: $3,852 on an annual insurance premium and $4,358 to meet the deductible, for a total of $8,210.
But most of the actual spending on medical care is for 5 percent of the population, mainly for chronic conditions. In 2010,
86 percent of the nation’s $2.7 trillion in annual health care expenditures was for people with chronic and mental health conditions.
It takes more than good luck to maintain good health. Up to
40 percent of lost years of life from each of five leading U.S. causes (heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, and unintentional injuries) are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sadly, opiate abuse jumped from 52nd on the list in 1990 to 15th in 2016.
Research suggests that behaviors—such as smoking, poor diet, over-eating, and lack of exercise—are the most important determinants of premature death. Over the last 25 years, the percentage of Americans with healthy lifestyles (exercise, good diet, “normal” body fat, not smoking) has dropped from
6.8 percent to
3 percent.
More than two-thirds of all adults and nearly one-third of all children and youth in the United States are either overweight or obese. The CDC reports that
9.3 percent of Americans have diabetes.
Will this problem be solved by expanding government “health care” programs? No. In 1965, when Medicare and Medicaid were established, 1.2 percent of Americans had diabetes. This number had doubled by 1975, even with more sources for medical care, and continued to rise at the same rate despite the implementation of the ACA.
The American Diabetes Association estimates that in 2017, diabetes and its related complications accounted for
$237 billion in direct medical costs—a 26 percent increase from 2012.
The price of poor lifestyle choices is staggering. For the years 2009 to 2012, the
costs for direct medical care due to smoking totaled at least $170 billion. Medical costs linked to
obesity were estimated to total between $147 billion and nearly $210 billion per year.
Let’s face it. Many Americans have been duped into ignoring responsibility for their own health. With the drug companies’ relentless ads, prescription drugs have become the equivalent of “As Seen on TV” products. These ads send the unstated message that the latest diabetes or lung disease medication will take care of you, so you do not have to take care of yourself and possibly avoid these diseases in the first place. It’s no surprise that
70 percent of Americans take at least one prescription medication.
And the same government geniuses that permit food stamps to be used at fast food outlets mandate over-priced insurance products that include “free” preventive care. But the high-priced cholesterol medication will cancel that out, right?
No sane person would wish a chronic condition on anyone, nor deny treatment for such patients. But preventive health begins at home. Changing behaviors requires someone who connects with patients, will take time to listen, and help identify personal motivators for change.
This requires a physician who will spend time with you—not a storefront doc-in-the-box.
Direct pay practices (DPC) offer quality time, service, and chronic disease management. These physicians are not constrained by insurance companies’ and the government’s paint-by-the-numbers treatments.
Health insurance is necessary for big-ticket items like hospitalizations. But there is no need to pay thousands for services that will never be used. Pre-Obamacare high-deductible plans and their out-of-pocket costs were generally offset by lower premiums and employer contributions to HSAs.
Shifting all our personal responsibilities to the government has not improved our nation’s health. Imagine if the $1,000 spent on designer coffee or manicures were spent on foods and non-sedentary activities that improved health.
Dr. Marilyn Singleton is a board-certified anesthesiologist. She is also a member of the board of directors and president-elect of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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