Getting Older, Spending More But Getting Less

With budgets being cut everywhere, attention has been refocused on the enormous amount of money we spend on healthcare in this country. It is one thing to spend lots of money on something but you are supposed to receive quality, value and service for those dollars spent. Currently we are not seeing those kind of returns.

When it comes to healthcare, The United States spends around 35 percent more per person than the next highest-spending countries of Switzerland and Norway. In 2010, the United States spent $2.6 trillion on health care. That is over $8,000 per American.

Ezekiel J. Emanuel of The New York times says this about our healthcare spending.  "Consider this: If we stacked single dollar bills on top of one another, $2.6 trillion would reach more than 170,000 miles — nearly three-quarters of the way to the moon."

"Or, compare our spending to that of other countries. France has the fifth largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of nearly $2.6 trillion. The United States spends on health care alone what the 65 million people of France spend on everything: education, defense, the environment, scientific research, vacations, food, housing, cars, clothes and health care. In other words, our health care spending is the fifth largest economy in the world."

The issue is not how much we spend but what we get in return for out healthcare dollars. Mr. Emanuel went on to say," The truth is, the United States is not getting 20 or 30 percent better health care or results than other countries."

"While there are peaks of greatness, especially at some of America’s leading academic health centers and in integrated health care plans, the quality is uneven. And quality is a problem that affects all of us, rich and poor."

"Almost no matter how we measure it — whether by life expectancy or by survival for specific diseases like asthma, heart disease or some cancers; by the rate of medical errors; or simply by satisfaction with health services — the United States is actually doing worse than a number of countries, like France and Germany, that spend considerably less."

There was a Medicare study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine in 2003. The authors found that Medicare patients that received more medical care did not necessarily have a higher level or health or absence of disease. So what is the solution? 

Self-care, which comprises staying active, eating better and getting enough rest, is still the best solution to keeping yourself out of the doctors office and maintaining good health and a higher quality of life. Granted, self-care takes work but it is time well spent.

I have been in the health and fitness profession for 30 years and can tell you for a fact that there is no pill or potion that can replace the almost amazing benefits of regular, personal TLC. You can take that statement to the bank.