We all hear the constant whine of the rising cost of healthcare. The whiners aren't crazy; it has risen spectacularly! Here's why:
Government Mandated Employer Provided Health Insurance and Medicare Coverage began during The 1960s. That began the process of putting "all inclusive" and "cheap" medical insurance in the hands of most Americans. The Medical Industry observed, The Government had produced a huge expansion in the number of "wealthy" healthcare consumers. As a result, The Medical Industry began aggressively marketing to those potential customers. As a result, consumption of medical services and products skyrocketed.
In 1970 only 5% of births were performed with an expensive surgical procedure called, C-Section. Today, that number is around 30% of all births in The U.S.A.
Currently, approximately 600,000 hysterectomies are performed annually in The U.S.A. That expensive medical procedure is estimated to be medically necessary for about 60,000 woman. Of course, there are cheaper and safer alternatives for most of that 60,000, but I'm focused on the other 540,000.
These are only two examples of a trend that appears to be systemic in The Medical Industry. So, what does this have to do with your personal finances?
When you are solicited by The Medical Industry, you must remember, you are speaking with someone who is the equivalent of a real-estate agent, desperate to sell you a new home, in order to make a commission on the sale. Then, ask yourself, do I really need this new home or is the one I'm living in, just fine.
Side notes:
Prostrate Cancer will kill every male who lives long enough to die from it. However, most men will die from something else first. So, when the doctors want to start cutting you up down there, ask yourself, do I really need a new house or is the one I'm living just fine
If you are a male over 40 your doctor is going to try to sell you high blood pressure and/or cholesterol medication. They may recommend a low salt diet first and they already should know that it won't work. However, they won't tell you, if you eat the old food pyramid, cut out most saturated fats, avoid sugar and eat all six to eleven servings of grain in their whole form (brown rice, frozen corn, etc) you will drop your blood pressure by around 15 points
Loosing weight and exercising will help as well, but don't trust the weight chart in the doctors office. They often use the same chart for men and women. Men of the same height, should weigh significantly more than women do. If they don't, they are probably anorexic
Good health = low health care expenses and higher income potential.
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