Health care costs are an arm and a leg for a good reason. This is because the health care system is badly overused for the wrong reasons.
Medical procedures are certainly expensive but then, they should be. There are skilled and exacting procedures for people who really need them to make a difference in their life or to save their life. And therein lies a billion dollar problem. Americans overuse the health care system and have no one else but themselves to thank when the costs keep going up to keep pace with the system demand.
“Come to think of it, how many people do you know who run to the doctor when they have a minor infection or just want to try out a new drug they heard about on television? Chances are, if you think about that for a minute, you could think of a lot of people, likely including yourself, who have gone to the doctor for a minor cough, a mild flu or maybe even a funny rash. These visits cost us big bucks, and it’s just that simple,” explained Evan Tunis of Florida Health Care Insurance, Delray Beach, Florida.
Small medical complaints aside, the vast majority of Americans today sit and get fatter because they do not get up off the couch and get physical. Being overweight causes all kinds of deadly health problems ranging from diabetes to heart disease. Odd that so many people would choose potato chips over good health when those chips may ultimately give them a heart attack. “Bluntly put, as a nation we use much more health care services than we really should,” added Tunis.
If we were able to cut back on the number of heart bypass surgeries we do every year, health insurance costs would go down. If we cut back on the number of other major surgeries performed, health insurance premiums would also go down. “Way back when health insurance wasn’t too expensive, there were nowhere near the numbers of operations performed now. Bottom line is that our fitness and health are becoming dead last in the race,” indicated Tunis. We now have a nation of a great many moribund people who feel taking care of themselves is up to somebody else.
Health care and wellness education is one place to start turning this tide of expenses around. Although having said that, one can’t force people to cooperate and choose a healthy lifestyle. “Eventually, usually when it’s too late, those who have been overusing the health care system ‘get it.’ If we take control of ourselves and manage our own health care to the best of our ability, eventually this will make a difference,” commented Evan Tunis of Florida Health Care Insurance, Delray Beach, Florida.
