Full disclosure, this article started out going in a very different direction. But one rabbit hole leads to the next….

And here we are.

Today, I’m tackling the massive topic of health insurance and how it has f’d us up. 

Yes, dropping f-bombs is incredibly necessary. This is a HUGE topic and, IMHO one of the top reasons why we’re in such a mess with our health.

I’m going to challenge you to take a few steps back and look at your health from a 30,000-foot view. I want you to take what I’m about to say and look at it objectively, without emotion.

Are you putting off caring for your body now because the medical system will treat whatever disease pops up later in life?

If your current health plan is to enjoy life now and worry about the consequences later, I have news for you. The world is a changin’. Counting on the medical system or insurance to take care of things later in life is not a wise strategy. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. 

Big Pharma has created this weird illusion that they can fix everything. 

Well, they can’t. 

Even if there is a “treatment” for whatever disease should fall upon you or a loved one, there is no guarantee that the treatment will work. Worse yet, the treatment could make things a hell of a lot worse. Worst case scenario, the treatment could kill you. 

Hey, I warned you, we’re going deep down a rabbit hole today!!

Let’s dig in…

The medical insurance industry has really screwed up how we view healthcare. I get it. Financial consideration is often the top concern when deciding whether or not to work with a healthcare practitioner. The first question is usually, “Do you take insurance?” 

[If you’re wondering, no, I don’t take insurance in my health coaching practice.] 

Again, I get it. We’re all in that boat. It’s hard to justify spending your hard-earned money on a service that isn’t covered by insurance when the treatment is usually free or of very low cost. It’s essentially free money, right?

Not exactly. But that’s what we’ve been made to think.

Many people would prefer to take a prescription drug that is covered by their insurance rather than pay out-of-pocket for a service such as health coaching, acupuncture, chiropractics, massage, or even supplements. 

Money should not be a factor when deciding on care. It should come as no surprise to anyone that those with the most money are provided with the best care. That’s a serious problem. 

Especially when it comes to preventative care.

Many people are of the mindset, “Why bother wasting money now to try to prevent a disease when insurance will pay most, if not all the cost of the treatment for that disease.” “Try” is the keyword in that statement. Many people don’t want to try something if there’s no guarantee that it will work.

Well, newsflash, medical treatments are not guaranteed either. In fact, it’s also not guaranteed that insurance will cover treatments or drugs now or in the future. 

How many times have you received a bill from your doctor after what you thought was a routine procedure or check-up covered by your insurance?

What if your company stops providing insurance?

What if you are laid off unexpectedly or your company closes?

What if you choose not to comply with mandatory medical procedures or drugs?

What if you are injured and can’t work?

All of these are very real situations that we have seen over the past few years. What if they happen to you and your family? Where will you get the money to cover chemo treatments or pay for a triple bypass surgery? Or having a baby? Does that change your perspective of “let’s wait for insurance to cover the treatment instead of spending money on prevention”?

I hope so.

The best thing we can do for ourselves and our families is to take preventative care seriously. We cannot predict the future and we cannot take for granted the services that are now being provided to us. They could go away at any minute in this ever-changing world.

Just ask the millions of Americans who found themselves in the difficult position of whether to take the C19 shot or lose their job. Maybe that was some of you. 

Let’s look at a very likely scenario.

The cost of heart disease.

The estimated cost Americans who have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease spend on medical care each year is about $19,000 (1). Yes, some of it would be covered by insurance, but we can’t count on that. 

Heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide so it’s very likely that you or someone in your family will battle with it at some point. Maybe you are now. Do you know?

Let’s do some math….

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now recommend heart disease screenings begin at age 20 if you don’t have any symptoms. Children who are obese, have low levels of activity or have a family history of heart issues should be screened regularly (2). But let’s use age 20 as our starting point because, quite honestly, it breaks my heart to even type those words about children getting heart disease screenings. 

The life expectancy in the US is 73.5 years for men and 79.3 years for women (3).

If you would be diagnosed with heart disease at the age of 20, you would be paying an average of $955,700 by the age of 73.5 if you’re a man and $1,506,700 by the age of 79.3 if you are a woman. That is just the cost of treatment for heart disease and that is assuming you don’t die of a heart attack, stroke, or other complication sooner. 

That number doesn’t take into account lost productivity for days of work missed by you and whoever is caring for you after surgery or procedures and for medical appointments.

That is also assuming there are no complications and that you are not diagnosed with another chronic disease.

1 out of 3 people who have a chronic disease, such as heart disease, have at least 2 chronic diseases.

Um, I don’t know about you but if I had a million dollars, I certainly wouldn’t want to spend it on treatment for heart disease! I can think of many way more fun things to do with that money!

Ok, so now, let’s look at preventative care. 

Heart disease is preventable in most circumstances.

Ok, I’m going to say that heart disease is preventable in all circumstances because let’s be real, it’s a disease of lifestyle. 

You have two options:

The first option, do nothing and begin coughing up $19,000 a year. 

The second option, clean up your lifestyle now and save $19,000 a year.

In my opinion, when looking at it that way, there really is only one option. 

One of the hesitations I hear most from folks is that they don’t want to give up the foods they love. I hear you. 

But here’s the thing, those foods are slowly killing you. If you have triple bypass surgery, you will be giving up those foods. It will not be a choice. 

Intentionally working to prevent disease doesn’t have to suck. It doesn’t have to be expensive or suck all the fun out of your life. Again, if you are put on oxygen and have to push around a canister of oxygen, you won’t be out playing with your kids or going to football games. That would suck.

Doing the things we love is our reward for being healthy. I truly believe that if given the chance, everyone would choose to live a long life with the ones they love doing the things they love.

And if an activity you love is sitting on the couch eating ice cream, I challenge you: do you really enjoy that or are you trying to distract yourself from something else? 

Eating foods such as ice cream gives your body an instant dopamine hit. But then it goes away and you’re right back where you started. 

What are you making that ice cream mean? Are you escaping a difficult conversation? Are you numbing the pain of being lonely or sad? Are you distracting yourself from something else? 

It’s probably not about the ice cream.

(BTW, this is exactly what I help my clients work through in my Healthy Gut, Healthy YOU 6-month coaching program.)

Back to the topic at hand….

Have you become reliant on your insurance? I think that’s the question at the heart of the matter. 

How do you get out of that system?

Well, that’s going to be different for everyone. Certainly, that will be easier for those without current medical issues. 

The most important thing to know is that the healthier you are when you go into surgery or onto medication, the better your outcome will likely be. 

Surgery is a barbaric and unbelievably stressful event! Cracking open your ribcage, stopping your heart, removing pieces of your body…eek.

Compared to that, I don’t think that asking you to walk for 30 minutes every day is a big ask. Or eating a salad every day. That’s easy!

For some reason (and I have a pretty good idea of what that reason is), we believe that changing the way we eat is “extreme”. Yet, laying naked on an operating table with our inner organs exposed to the world is “normal”. Hmmmm…..

Does that seem a bit backward to you?

So, what do you do? 

It’s a simple solution: clean up your lifestyle. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not next year. 

Do it now. 

Your gut changes substantially within 24 hours of eating healthy foods. Your body begins healing immediately after you quit smoking. Your body is remarkable and resilient. Start now. 

Before it’s too late. Fixing small issues is much easier than attempting to fix super-complicated life-or-death situations. 

I can help you figure out where to start and map out a plan. Health coaching is one of those severely underutilized tools when it comes to preventative healthcare. 

I can teach you how to care for your body and use your body’s natural functions to help prevent disease. 

The price of working with me seems pretty small compared to the $1.5 million price tag that comes with heart disease. 

It’s time to take control of your health! Put the power - and the money - back in your own pocket. Get a FREE 30-minute Discovery Call scheduled with me to talk about how health coaching can be your first line of defense. Click the button below to get on my calendar.

* Please note, these are my own opinions and should not be taken as medical advice. This article is for educational and informational purposes only.

Resources:

1. Nichols GA, Bell TJ, Pedula KL, O’Keeffe-Rosetti M. Medical care costs among patients with established cardiovascular disease. Am J Manag Care. 2010 Mar;16(3):e86–e93. Pmid:20205493.

2. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/coronary-heart-disease/diagnosis

3. Centers for Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/life-expectancy.htm