Your health insurance company doesn’t care about you or your health, and they care even less about your doctor. Their business model is built on the premise that you or your employer pay them an ever-increasing monthly premium and they do everything in their power not to pay benefits. Their profit margin is determined by how little they pay out. Insurance companies will continue to squeeze patients or doctors by not covering the cost of the services provided. By keeping reimbursement rates low, doctors are being forced to reduce quality of care or stop taking insurance altogether.
When insurance companies do pay, it is only after you pay a huge deductible. They then pay for the “standard of care.” But what does that mean? Standard of care means getting to spend a whopping eight minutes of face-to-face time with your doctor after you’ve spent one to two hours in the waiting room. Standard of care means having your doctor merely treat the effects of disease instead of combating the root causes of disease. And standard of care means getting to take prescription drugs that don’t cure anything, only mask the symptoms, and may actually hurt you (prescription drugs—taken as directed—kill over 100,000 people each and every year).
It is important to understand that the “normal” state of humans is not being sick, not taking countless drugs, and not visiting the doctor’s office on a frequent basis. The normal human condition is to be lean and fit, energetic, and active for a lifetime. Sadly though, our healthcare system has failed us. Despite all the advertised “miracles” of modern medicine, we are a nation of overweight, cancer-prone, and chronically-ill people. People are supposed to function correctly for a lifetime. Americans have gotten so used to seeing unhealthy people, they think it’s normal.
Consider the following: With your car, insurance does not pay for routine maintenance and upkeep. You pay for that. Insurance is there to cover in the event of a catastrophe, such as a crash. Same thing with your house. Insurance does not pay for routine maintenance and upkeep. You pay for that. Insurance is there to cover in the event of a catastrophe, such as fire or a major theft. Why should health insurance be any different? If your health is truly important to you, you should pay for routine maintenance and upkeep of your body (i.e., wellness). Insurance is there to cover in the event of a catastrophe, such as a condition requiring hospitalization.
There is a better way, but it requires a brand new mindset. It requires you to value your health as you should and be willing to invest in it, whether your insurance pays a dime or not. After all, it is your body and you are the one that has to live in it, not your insurance company! Tragically, most people are too busy living their life to stop and imagine the regrets they might have when they are about to die. For many, by the time they realize that they should have taken their health more seriously, it’s too late. There is no greater gift than your health, and taking responsibility for it needs to start immediately.
COMMENTS: What is a lifetime of good health worth to you? Americans are notorious for taking things for granted, and good health is one of them. Many will spend their hard-earned money on non-essential things like alcohol, cable television, internet service, golf, vacations, restaurants, new cars, the latest smartphone, beauty salons, jewelry, and designer label clothing. But what about your health? Isn’t that way more important? If not to you, how about to those that love and depend on you? If you desire a healthier, stronger, and biologically younger body, I can arm you with the knowledge and tools to put you on the right path.
