The reality in the US is this: healthcare costs are rising, and there are no signs of it slowing down. About 79 million Americans are in debt due to healthcare costs. A decent percentage of this given population have costs they can’t afford to pay in their lifetime. The average cost of these debts amounts to $3,000. But this number widely varies, with some hospital debts reaching as high as $500,000. It will take the average earning American almost ten years to pay that much debt. If you think about it for a minute, that’s a staggering fact.
You might have come upon this article because you have a hospital debt, and you’re trying to stop your healthcare costs by living a much healthier life. But does a healthier lifestyle prevent you from going back to the hospital? Does living a healthy life mean that you no longer health insurance? These are the questions that we are going to try to answer in this article.
Genetics
The first thing we have to address is pesky genetics. Chronic illnesses are quite common in the US. About 133 million Americans (more than half of the population) have some chronic disease. This can range from mild asthma to severe heart disease that requires constant medical attention. All of these chronic diseases equals about $3.8 trillion in healthcare costs every year.
These chronic diseases are mainly found in people’s genetics, and there is a high chance that children of those with these diseases have them. The worse part of it all is that there is no known cure for these diseases, just medical treatments to alleviate the symptoms and pain. Interestingly enough, one of the main treatments to address these diseases is living a healthier life.
Take asthma, for example. People who have asthma and other chronic lung diseases can easily treat symptoms of their disease by living a healthy life and avoiding their triggers. Furthermore, those who live a healthy life are more likely to have less severe disease symptoms. Because of this, they spend less time in the hospital and pay less for treatment. The disease might even disappear entirely. This shows how powerful a healthy lifestyle can have in your life.
Wellness at its Core
Our immune system is responsible for curing many known diseases. Some of them are as severe as cancer. Our treatment and cures mainly rely on treating symptoms to give our immune system a fighting chance to fight various illnesses and diseases. Wellness at its core is our main protection, not hospitals and not healthcare.
But true enough, we still need them because our immune system can fail at any time. Our body isn’t perfect, but living a healthy life can ensure that our body is in top shape to fight any diseases. But some diseases can’t be avoided. Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia are some diseases that can only be delayed, not fully avoided.
Healthcare is Becoming a Lifestyle
Ultimately, healthcare is becoming integrated into the way we live. Healthcare professionals and companies have realized that prevention is better than cure. Additionally, the costs of running hospitals are just way too unbearable, even for the wealthiest shareholders. Healthcare companies are looking for alternatives, and this alternative lies in the way people live.
Vitamins are becoming more widely available to people. Certain healthcare companies now also cover visits to the gym. An IV clinic can provide IV treatment to those who need it. These IV drips also provide vitamins for your daily life. You can get the treatment you need without going to hospitals.
Moreover, you no longer need to be inside a hospital to recover. You can do it in the comfort of your home! This shows how a healthier life can truly solve the problems of healthcare worldwide. However, it requires full integration of people’s lifestyles and the government’s support to make it happen.
Healthier Life Equal Lesser Healthcare Costs?
The answer is not definite. On the one hand, living a healthy life is enough to treat the most chronic illnesses. On the other hand, some of these diseases still require medical treatment. Research isn’t clear about the facts either, simply because there are too many factors to cover. But for a person, you can indeed lessen healthcare costs by living a healthy life. It’s just not representative of the entire population. A life away from obesity and a life that ensures your immune system functions properly can stop even the most severe diseases.
There is a truth in all of this that is undeniable: we have reached a point when life expectancy has reached new heights. Because of awareness in health and wellness and acting upon it, we keep our immune system functioning. And because of our robust healthcare system, we have prevented lives from being taken away.
