Health Care and You

The political buzz lately has focused on health care and health insurance. No doubt these issues need to be addressed due to poor health, financial difficulties from rising health care co
sts but what is health care defined. What is health insurance and what is your responsibility?


Before we step behind a political following and make hasty decisions on constitutional merits, what is the health climate of America? Here is some food for thought (zero calories I promise) from 2006 census figures that should shed some light on where health dollars go and our current health climate:

• Number uninsured was 47 million or 15.8 % of the U.S.population
• Number uninsured not U.S. citizens 45% of 47 million
• Age 18-24 uninsured 29.3% of 47 million
• 25-35 uninsured 26.9% of 47 million
• Earning 75,000 salary per year or more, 8.5% of 47 million (health savings accounts may not have been tabulated in the census figures)
• Mental health is the secondary cause of disability in the U.S. that accounts for 20% of all Americans
  

In 2007 the total health dollars spent (Not sure if all pharmaceutical expenses were factored in) was 2.26 trillion dollars. This figure is the big considered by some as the "big ball" of insurance money. Over the past 9 years congressional hearings, when investigating and proposing regulations on Health Saving Accounts, looked at the impact of lost health dollars in the overall national insurance pool of money...AKA the big ball of insurance money.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is just that, for the unexpected what ifs in life, for those unforeseen health crisis in life. Health insurance was never designed to make you healthy. The current health insurance model is in line with current medical health models and is very pharmaco-centric (a self contrived term for the times) and delivers post disease care or care for disease after it develops. When thinking of a health insurance policy try to match the policy to your current health and health conditions then expand that to where your health may be in 5-7 years. Health insurance is not health care but one part of it.

Health Care

Health care is actually your part every day. It is how you eat, exercise, manage stress, how happy you are in life and so much more. How we take care of ourselves is a predictor of future health crisis. Most health experts agree that up to 80% of most diseases are preventable. The younger the intervention the better the outcome. This suggests that any health care overhaul should include education to America's youth to keep future generations healthier than the previous ones.

You

Your part should involve trying to differentiate the two terms of health care and health insurance then integrate the two to form a health plan for your health. Take back control of your health by caring and improving your fitness and knowledge on better life-habits. Match a health insurance plan for you health needs now then 5-7 years in the future. Look for programs that teach or coach you on proper health strategies. When listening to politicians discussing change we should ask what affects the majority of health issues and not the more rare, obscure issues that answer to political hot buttons. After all its not just our health and health care but our children' s health too.

We should be compelled to offer prevention and preventative measures in any health care model since preventing disease offers the best intervention, lower cost, and better life quality to begin with.

Curtis Haake D.C.
Health Coach