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But, that doesn't do away with the high insurance premiums.
Sure it does. If you reduce the demand/need for all these treatments, which is what healthy lifestyles do, then you automatically reduce premiums.
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Originally Posted by lily4
So, I don't see how the high cost of healthcare is "largely solvable" in our case. It's the one cost, I feel like we have no control over. It just seems obscene to me that this one expense is equal to and frequently exceeds all of our other expenses combined.
You can't think of it just in terms of "your case". We, as a society, have to find ways to move away from the standard unhealthy lifestyle we have. Insurance coverage that has hidden the true cost of our unhealthy lifestyles for the last 60 years is part of the problem.
Yes, I get that any one individual can't fix the whole thing by themselves. But the bottom line is the major ways to bring down healthcare costs are already known. The hard part is changing attitudes & behavior.
Sure it does. If you reduce the demand/need for all these treatments, which is what healthy lifestyles do, then you automatically reduce premiums.
You can't think of it just in terms of "your case". We, as a society, have to find ways to move away from the standard unhealthy lifestyle we have. Insurance coverage that has hidden the true cost of our unhealthy lifestyles for the last 60 years is part of the problem.
Yes, I get that any one individual can't fix the whole thing by themselves. But the bottom line is the major ways to bring down healthcare costs are already known. The hard part is changing attitudes & behavior.
Mysticaltyger. Though no one will disagree that a good diet and exercise will help maintain better health (in most cases) I am afraid that is not the number one cause of our over the top health care costs here in the Us.
Since I don't want to have to post a post so long that no one will even read it, I suggest you and others read a few books that explain all the reasons that our health care costs are so expensive in our country, and see how other countries deliver far superior and more extensive health care for nearly half of the cost.
I will give you a brief answer. In the Us, we have an unregulated, for fee, profit based health care system.(with the exception of Medicare) This includes all aspects of health care including our non-negotiated drug prices as well.
A huge problem in this country is millions have lost the good paying jobs and can only find one paying $20,000 a year. Maybe better to find the financial genius to live on that than look in vain for a job that pays as well as the last one.
I wonder if anyone has ever thought about INCREASING their earnings instead of trying to live a life of lack and poverty.
A guy making a million a year can live well on 20% of his income. Beats the hell out of crock pot meals.
For many who live frugally, it's a lifestyle choice. The goal is to live simply.
Some people like crock pot meals, prefer a small house, like to have few possessions and drive old vehicles, ride bicycles, or use public transportation by choice.
A huge problem in this country is millions have lost the good paying jobs and can only find one paying $20,000 a year. Maybe better to find the financial genius to live on that than look in vain for a job that pays as well as the last one.
So true. Controlling the spending is key, no matter what your income, it just becomes more critical with smaller incomes which are becoming the new normal. The good news is that it doesn't really require a financial genius, just requires someone with common sense, ingenuity, organization and self control. Maybe if the management of companies would learn this lesson, there would be more good paying jobs.
So true. Controlling the spending is key, no matter what your income, it just becomes more critical with smaller incomes which are becoming the new normal. The good news is that it doesn't really require a financial genius, just requires someone with common sense, ingenuity, organization and self control. Maybe if the management of companies would learn this lesson, there would be more good paying jobs.
Exactly...Controlling spending is key and it doesn't require any special skills. At 18, when I first managed my own money and didn't have a checking account, I used the envelope method. It was simple and it worked. Cash your paycheck and put the rent, utilities, food, etc. money in their envelopes and stuck to spending only what is in each envelope for each category. If an inexperienced 18 year old can manage her money, then anyone can who possesses the four things you mentioned: common sense, ingenuity, organization and self control. Now, instead of envelopes I think most people use financial software programs and keep their money in a safer place, but I kind of miss the simplicity of the envelope method.
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The dwindling good paying jobs...
