Outrageous investment, no return
In a bizarre, inverse relationship that utterly defies logic, health spending has exceeded $2 trillion, while we rank dead last when it comes to the number of preventable deaths.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that this is a seriously broken system.
Government analysts issued a report that covered all aspects of health spending. They estimated that spending on a national level has almost doubled in a span of just 10 years.
As to the money spent on drugs, the report states that spending would have been higher if it hadn't been for more generic drugs being used now than in the past. There was a 12.5 percent increase in filling prescriptions with generics between 2005 and 2006.
Also, big chains like Wal-Mart that offer prescription discount programs helped to curb what would otherwise be even greater out-of-control spending.
All of this money is being spent, but I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how $2 trillion dollars doesn't buy us the best health and health care in the known universe.
So, to add insult to injury, the results of one study were released showing that our French colleagues are doing a bang-up job when it comes to preventing deaths. I'm embarrassed to relate that we come in absolute last place when compared with 19 other industrialized countries. I would like to say that it's some small consolation that we at least tend to do well at the Olympic Games, but these are people's lives we're talking about here.
The criterion for preventable deaths is especially disturbing: it's just having access to effective health care. So what gets us statistically in the end is the number of uninsured folks who just can't get any medical treatment.
We're spending $2 trillion. As a nation, shouldn't this be able to get us the gold, considering how much gold that is?
There's a saying: the Lord helps those who help themselves. I've said it before, that no one cares about your health as much as you do. If you don't have access to good medical care, take advantage of free screenings that are put on in various communities. Look for health fairs, which often offer free blood pressure screenings and other health-related tests.
And make sure you're doing your part in eating right and moving around. That truly does go a long way in preventing various health problems—and even managing ones you already have.
