A look at the rising cost of healthcare
Sadly, millions of Americans go without the healthcare they need due to rising costs, which to many, are out of control. Not only is healthcare insurance getting more expensive by the day, but many of the OTC products they rely on are unaffordable. Is there a solution? There may be several, but for now, let’s look at some of the factors that are driving the cost of healthcare up. Once that is understood, it is possible to find solutions to fit almost anyone’s budget.
The cost of technology
The very first thing to understand is that there is a price to all the advancements in technology. While that very technology is often able to diagnose and/or treat patients with greater accuracy, the benefit of all that research and production has a price. Many times, healthcare insurance providers will not underwrite the use of these advanced technologies, so only the wealthy can afford them. This has led to many open debates on the rising cost of insurance without seeing a rise in benefits to account for the higher premiums.
Lack of choices
Another factor in the rising costs of healthcare is that often patients aren’t given options. They are told they need this particular test or treatment and that’s what they get, regardless of the costs involved. The same holds true for many of the medications they are prescribed. If you’ve ever looked at some of them, they are available as OTC products. Many providers now offer options in medications and medical supplies needed for at home healthcare and so they are partnering with payment solutions that have access to online products. One such option is the Medline OTC catalog available online. As more and more providers begin giving their patients options, healthcare may become a bit more affordable for the average person.
An unhealthy nation
Then there is the fact that we are truly an unhealthy nation. Why don’t more doctors strive toward healthier lifestyle choices? If more emphasis was placed on prevention instead of cure, the cost of healthcare would go down accordingly. After all, if you are not sick, why would you need treatment? Instead of recommending a low-fat diet, they treat heart disease with statin drugs to lower cholesterol in the arteries. This would also help to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes of which the leading causes are overweight, obesity and the lack of physical activity. Without getting into the ethics of this, could it be that there is more money to be made off an unhealthy nation? It’s food for thought anyway.
There are so many reasons why the cost of healthcare is being driven upward such as issues with the supply chain. The point being made in all this is that if consumers were better informed, there may be simple ways to offset those rising costs and maybe even prevent them in many cases. What would the outcome be if you had choices prior to costly treatments? If you had viable options, which would you choose? For now, it’s up to you to live a healthier lifestyle and the rest can be dealt with in time.