I have a question about preventive medicine

[wiegie]

Most people seem to think that engaging in more preventive medicine will reduce overall health-care costs in America. Why is that? It seems to me that if we keep people healthier longer, we could just end up having a lot more old people who will be needing health-care in the future (as opposed to having people just die off young).

 

So, will preventive health-care save us money in the short-run, but potentially cost us more money in the long run?

 

(Just wondering--I've never seen this aspect discussed anywhere (although I haven't looked for it either).)

[Hugh 0ne]

We're all gonna die, right? If we stay healthy until we die, or if we get sick a lot before we die, which costs more?

[bpwallace49]

Define preventative medicine.

 

I think that if Americans in general got off their asses and exercised and watched what they ate maybe they wouldnt get sick as often, get adult onset diabetes, etc.

 

I have a relative that had to switch doctors recently due to a new job. The new doctor looked at the 8 medications she had to take, and then promptly removed 5 of them from her daily routine and prescribed a different diet instead.

 

She now feels better and is healthier . .. go figure.

 

I am intrigued to see how much of health care is spent in the last 3 months of life prolonging a cause that has already been decided . ..

[i_am_the_swammi]

Most people seem to think that engaging in more preventive medicine will reduce overall health-care costs in America. Why is that? It seems to me that if we keep people healthier longer, we could just end up having a lot more old people who will be needing health-care in the future (as opposed to having people just die off young).

 

So, will preventive health-care save us money in the short-run, but potentially cost us more money in the long run?

 

(Just wondering--I've never seen this aspect discussed anywhere (although I haven't looked for it either).)

 

I guess the question is: will it cost more to take care of healthy older people, or unhealthy younger people?

 

My guess is that we are not talking about adding dozens of years to a person's life, so we are not going to have a plethera of people living into their 100's. Preventitive medicine likely adds, as a percentage, 5-10% (?), so instead of average death ages of 75-80, we are talking 80-85.

 

Just a hunch, but I would lean on the side of preventative....assuming the costs are a wash (less sick young poeple vs more old people), then ethically, making sure people are equipped with the best means to be as healthy as possible seems the right thing to do.

[bpwallace49]

I am also pretty sure that life expectancy in the US isnt even in the top 20 . . . yet we spend billions more than countries ahead of the US.

 

So what are we doing wrong? Is the system set up to do the best care? Or is it set up to serve the economy instead with expensive medications and unneeded tests?

 

Regardless, there are structural issues as to how care and medical services are charged and provided in the US compared to other countries. I wish there was a clear fix . .

[Hugh 0ne]

I am also pretty sure that life expectancy in the US isnt even in the top 20 .

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count...life_expectancy

[bpwallace49]

wow.

 

USA is 30 on that list. Yet we spend billions more every year in health care.

 

What the hell are we doing wrong?

[The Irish Doggy]

What the hell are we doing wrong?

 

Lazy couch potatoes who drive everywhere if its more than one block away.

[Hugh 0ne]

Lazy couch potatoes who drive everywhere if its more than one block away.

 

If you've got fuel in your car, why walk?

[10g_DBA]

An implicit assumption in your question Weigie is that illness is a natural consequence of aging. I don't believe this is necessarily true. If people were to avoid the pitfalls of the standard American diet, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases wouldn't claim 90% of American deaths. We in the west suffer and die from disease of affluence - too many calories, too much fat, too much animal protein, ect.

 

In other parts of the world, where the diet is primarily plant based populations don't die the way we die. Of course, these countries are less well off, so rather than suffer the disease of affluence, they endure the disease of poverty, which are borne of poor sanitation, lack of refrigeration, no flush toilets, ect.

 

I disagree that preventative medicine simply forestalls the inevitable. If Americans took steps to improve and protect their health through lifestyle modifications, the cost savings would be HUGH. It's not that we would delay illness, but rather prevent it from happening all together so our elderly die of old age, not some sort of sickness The cheapest expenses are the ones that don't exist.

[muck]

If people stay healthy longer, it simply improves the odds that they are taken out with one calamitous act, rather than a slow death.

 

[cre8tiff]

Wow remind me never to visit here:

 

191 221 Swaziland 32.23 31.84 32.62

 

I'm guessing life expectancy in the early 30's ain't caused by disease. :woah:

 

EDIT: Actually, it IS caused by disease; HIV and AIDS. :doublewoah:

Edited April 22, 2009 by cre8tiff

[Avernus]

soon enough we'll have the technology to repair DNA and keep the Telomere's active longer instead of breaking away which would push off the aging process...

 

the idea is to expand the younger years and keep the older years shorter....

 

if we could successfully do this, then medicine definitely has it's place....

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

Lazy couch potatoes who drive everywhere if its more than one block away.

 

Yep

 

<---- exhibit A

 

[skylive5]

I would join in on the conversation....but I am still trying to figure out why wiegie doesn't like older people. Especially since he will be an older person sooner than he expects. Just like the rest of you.

[Ursa Majoris]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count...life_expectancy

 

All those socialist Europeans and Canadians and Australians with their totally crappy state-run health systems are ahead of us. On behalf of all our right wing brethren, I hereby declare this list bogus, since it doesn't provide the evidence they need.

[wiegie]

If people stay healthy longer, it simply improves the odds that they are taken out with one calamitous act, rather than a slow death.

 

Believe it or not, I actually thought about that.

[wiegie]

I would join in on the conversation....but I am still trying to figure out why wiegie doesn't like older people. Especially since he will be an older person sooner than he expects. Just like the rest of you.

This isn't a matter of like or not liking anything--it is a matter of whether or not preventative medicine actually saves as much as people claim. (And for what it's worth, I feel older everyday--and given my family history and cholesterol levels, I am likely one of the people that would strongly benefit from preventative medicine.)

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

More healthier people = population explosion = more of a drain on the environment and food and h20 shortages.

 

Logan's Run anyone?

[yo mama]

I would join in on the conversation....but I am still trying to figure out why wiegie doesn't like older people. Especially since he will be an older person sooner than he expects. Just like the rest of you.

I have much love for older people. Just like the Eskimos.

Edited April 22, 2009 by yo mama

[cre8tiff]

I have much love for older people. Just like the Eskimos.

 

[rockinrobin]:divingboard:[/rockinrobin]

[The Irish Doggy]

I guess the one place preventative medicine is not welcome is the underfunded pensions around the country.

[muck]

I have much love for older people. Just like the Eskimos.

 

Ice floe, anyone?

[Chargerz]

An implicit assumption in your question Weigie is that illness is a natural consequence of aging. I don't believe this is necessarily true. If people were to avoid the pitfalls of the standard American diet, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases wouldn't claim 90% of American deaths. We in the west suffer and die from disease of affluence - too many calories, too much fat, too much animal protein, ect.

 

In other parts of the world, where the diet is primarily plant based populations don't die the way we die. Of course, these countries are less well off, so rather than suffer the disease of affluence, they endure the disease of poverty, which are borne of poor sanitation, lack of refrigeration, no flush toilets, ect.

 

I disagree that preventative medicine simply forestalls the inevitable. If Americans took steps to improve and protect their health through lifestyle modifications, the cost savings would be HUGH. It's not that we would delay illness, but rather prevent it from happening all together so our elderly die of old age, not some sort of sickness The cheapest expenses are the ones that don't exist.

Good info here.

[Avernus]

An implicit assumption in your question Weigie is that illness is a natural consequence of aging. I don't believe this is necessarily true. If people were to avoid the pitfalls of the standard American diet, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases wouldn't claim 90% of American deaths. We in the west suffer and die from disease of affluence - too many calories, too much fat, too much animal protein, ect.

 

In other parts of the world, where the diet is primarily plant based populations don't die the way we die. Of course, these countries are less well off, so rather than suffer the disease of affluence, they endure the disease of poverty, which are borne of poor sanitation, lack of refrigeration, no flush toilets, ect.

 

I disagree that preventative medicine simply forestalls the inevitable. If Americans took steps to improve and protect their health through lifestyle modifications, the cost savings would be HUGH. It's not that we would delay illness, but rather prevent it from happening all together so our elderly die of old age, not some sort of sickness The cheapest expenses are the ones that don't exist.

 

 

the main problem is that most of us are not well informed or educated enough on exactly what we are putting in our bodies....

 

here's a primary example...Fluoride

 

 

 

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...da-fa2ebd97355e

 

the one myth mentioned...even in one of the video's exposing this is saying that Fluoride makes your teeth stronger, when it doesn't...

 

However, I did not know that this led to ADD, I already knew it was a poison....but it certainly explains a lot....