The American healthcare system is predicated on a huge myth–that the more a society spends on health care, the better the health of its population will be. We justify having–by far–the costliest healthcare system in the world by deluding ourselves that we therefore also have the best health in the world. However, our romance with ever newer and more expensive drugs, technology, and surgeries has not achieved what we have been led to expect.
Consider just a few of the many significant statistics available on this subject:
- National health expenditures increased 69% between 1990 and 2000, to a per capita cost of $4,637,
- which is 68.5% higher than our closest competitor (Germany) and more than 2½ times as much as the UK;
- increased at a rate 4-5 times that of inflation in most years of that decade (a time of relatively low inflation in other industries)
- were disproportionately affected by the cost of prescription drugs, which were responsible for 21% of the cost increases in Year 2000, while representing only 9% of total spending; and
- are expected to rise to $3.1 trillion over the next 10 years (from a level of $1.4 trillion in 2001).
What does the American public get for this exorbitant price tag?
- A nation with 43.6 million uninsured in 2002 (while every other westernized nation provides basic coverage to all its citizens).
- An excessively high serious medical error rate (highest among U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia and New
- Zealand), including (in 1994) 160,000 deaths from adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
- An unacceptable portion (45%) of Americans failing to receive “indicated care” including, notably, preventive care.
- A healthcare system that is thought by many to be “in imminent danger of collapse.”
Add to this volatile mix, the projection that one-third of the people born in the year 2000 will eventually have diabetes — perhaps the most costly of the chronic diseases when all its comorbidities and secondary complications are considered– and we believe that no further evidence is necessary to justify a sea change in our approach to health care.
There will be many ideas about the best changes to consider, but this textbook is being written, in part, to ensure that all those who are interested in the assessment, prevention, and treatment of chronic disease know what functional medicine has to offer.
There are, of course, other powerful societal drivers for the problems described above. Among them are the demand for fast and easy, high-fat, high-sugar foods; the demand for expensive testing (such as CAT scans or MRIs) and expensive drugs; the increasingly sedentary nature of most jobs (tied to a desk) and personal lifestyles (centered around television and other passive entertainment experiences).
It is important that all sectors share the responsibility for empowering healthful choices–the individual and his/her family, the workplace, the residential and civic communities, the marketplace, and the healthcare system.
At Bodhi, We Change Lives with a functional medicine approach. We do that by focusing on the causes of disease rather than just the symptoms.
No matter what condition or disease you are battling in your life, we are confident can help you feel well again. Contact us today to book a consultation or call us at 1.888.271.8877 to discuss your wellness.
Be well!
PS – If you missed other articles in our series on Functional Medicine, be sure to read:
Why Functional Medicine
The Importance of Improving the Management of Complex, Chronic Disease
A Critical Problem
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