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Sick Care vs. Health Care Spending in the United States

Do you want to focus your health care spending on prevention now or on sick care later? Health care spending in the united states is the most expensive per capita of all industrialized nations while also being the least effective. When it comes to your health and the health of your family, there is no greater investment than preventive care and a healthy lifestyle! Still people will tell me all the time that their care plan or living the 5 Essentials is too expensive.

Consumer Reports estimates that the average American wastes thousands of dollars every year. In a recent article, several categories of products were listed that people tend to squander money on:

  • Cable $1,032
  • Cell Phone $1,140
  • Coffee $1,092
  • Eating Out $2,505
  • Health Insurance $4,129
  • Soft Drinks $850

These unnecessary expenses add up to a TOTAL of $10,748.

How Unhealthy and Unnecessary Spending Adds Up

Let’s say that over the next year or so, you decide to quit spending money on trivial things. Instead you save a few bucks, and you joyfully implement the following changes:

  • drink 1 cup less coffee
  • drink half the soft drinks
  • eat out half the time you currently do
  • use basic cable
  • use basic cell phone services.

You would save yourself $2,224 this year!

Or let’s say that you decide to do some major life transformations and now you’re ready to really go for it, so you make the following changes:

  • no more coffee
  • no more soft drinks (just water)
  • eat out only for special occasions
  • no more cable
  • use basic cell phone services
  • limit medical expenses due to preventative care.

You would maximize your savings of $5,994 annually!

Nothing you can retire on right away, but when you look at the long-term impact of your wise decisions, it makes an enormous difference. The U.S. health care system is the highest in cost with the worst results.

U.S. Health Care System’s Poor Performance

We are ranked 39th in overall performance, and 72nd by overall level of health among 191 nations studied.  According to the WHO, in 2011 the US spent more on health care per capita ($8,608) than any other nation.

By now, everyone realizes that only a miniscule portion of that money is invested in health. The vast majority of the health care cost is spent on crisis care or what the industry calls symptom treatment and disease management with a sprinkle of prevention.

Chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease take a heavy toll on health. Chronic conditions also cost vast amounts of money. – Triple Solution for a Healthier America

What’s the cost of disease management?

Here are some statistics that put things into perspective: A 2001 study found that 46.2% of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. were due to medical debt. In 2007, that number increased to 62.1% of bankruptcies.

So, have you included health care costs in your retirement number? A 65-year-old couple retiring this year would need $220,000 on average, not including nursing home care, to cover health care costs in retirement. The study assumes a life expectancy of 85 for women and 82 for men.  What this means is most Americans are one disease, one diagnosis, or one crisis away from bankruptcy.

Health Care Savings When You Adopt the 5 Essentials Lifestyle

On the contrary, a study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics concluded that Chiropractic patients, ages 65 and older, who received maintenance care for 5 years experienced the following results compared to healthy citizens the same age.

Chiropractic patients spent 31% of the national average on health care with 60.2% fewer hospital admissions, 62% less surgeries, 85% less pharmaceutical costs, 50% less medical provider visits, 59% less days hospitalized.

Let’s look at the savings over time: cut unnecessary expenses $2,224 annually is $22,240 over 10 years, $44,480 over 20 years. Living the chiropractic model saves $5,939 annually and $59,390 over 10 years, $118,780 over 20 years.

Not bad, right? Looking at the projected savings over a 10-20 year period it’s evident that it pays dividends to invest in your health! We haven’t even included the high price tag of chronic conditions, nursing homes, irreversible surgeries, addictive medications, or intangible costs.

Chiropractic Doctors are More Likely to Pursue Ongoing Education

People will still tell me that their chiropractic care and 5 Essentials lifestyle is too expensive.  As a Max Living doctor not only did I go to undergrad 4 years and graduate school 3 years, I attend 4-8 seminars per year to continue to expand the level of care you and your family receive in the office.

So that is $300,000 worth of education plus another $15-30,000 per year in training to ensure that you are getting the best.  I just spent another weekend training on bringing you the latest techniques for spinal correction and advanced nutrition, what other doctor is doing that?

The insurance doctor went to a seminar to learn how to bill your insurance to make more money.  So who do you want to see?  Where do you want to invest your health? Seeing the best or what is less expensive?

INVEST IN YOUR HEALTH THIS YEAR AND MAXIMIZE YOUR LIFE

Join us for the Holy Hormones Advanced Workshop.

WEDNESDAY JUNE. 3rd  2015 at 6:30pm

Hormones tell our bodies how to function, but they can easily be thrown off-kilter by many of the lifestyle choices we make each day. Team up with Max Living and learn how to keep your hormones in check.

We want to teach you how to take control of your future. Small everyday changes can help balance your hormones and lead to a healthier and more fulfilling life. Make sure your future is as pain, stress, and worry-free as possible.

Embrace Holy Hormones and Discover the Power Within!

  • Learn tips to manage your stress.
  • Rid yourself of hot flashes and night sweats.
  • Bring your testosterone levels up to par.
  • Keep your mood steady.

Mist the workshop? Check out our upcoming events here.