Column #61

Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump all agree that ObamaCare’s spiraling costs need to be fixed. It’s not an issue for folks with little or no income, preexisting conditions, or who are employed by large companies that can afford super coverage. But for some who need individual health insurance it’s too expensive, getting more expensive, and in too many cases not even available as promised.

If many participants get discounted full coverage healthcare, others must pick up the tab. That means workers and/or employers with higher incomes must pay more. If they are not paying more, maybe that’s why the fiscal 2016 Federal deficit was $590 billion, up from fiscal 2015's deficit of $439 billion. If the economy is doing well, is there another reason the deficit is increasing?

Currently, healthcare is about 18% of our gross domestic product. This is a huge burden on our country. A few years ago the Council on Foreign Relations reported:

The United States spent more than 17% of its GDP on health care, higher than any other developed nation. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated in 2008 that number would rise to 25% by 2025 without changes to federal law.

At 12%, health care is the most expensive benefit paid by U.S. employers, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Some economists say these ballooning dollar figures place a heavy burden on companies doing business in the United States and can put them at a substantial competitive disadvantage in the international marketplace.

The value of our health increases everyday. Injuries, infectious and chronic diseases cost more than $3 trillion annually in addition to millions of nonproductive hours.

Seatbelts, helmets, better workplace rules, improved highways, safer toys, and such have reduced per capita injuries. Better hygiene, vaccinations, food safety, and other measures have greatly reduced infectious diseases per capita. But 86% of healthcare costs are for chronic diseases which continue to increase on a per capita basis. These costs can also be reduced with lifestyle changes but the will to do so is lacking.

All chronic diseases are body failures of various sorts. In most cases the failings are caused by abuse, the most prevalent being traditional food and drinks. Unfortunately most people believe food is abusive because of agricultural chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, and additives. They don’t understand it’s the fundamental chemistry of some foods that’s most abusive.

Foods that are high glycemic, lacking the full spectrum of nutrients needed, and with highly skewed essential fats are the biggest abusers. These foods also happen to be America’s favorites: grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, oils, and grain-fed meats.

We all make individual choices to avoid injuries and infectious diseases. Often the required lifestyle changes are inconvenient or don’t seem like much fun. It’s the same with diet. We can’t eat the same high-risk foods as the masses who are battling chronic diseases and expect different results.

Green leafy vegetables, grass-fed and Omega-3 meats, and wild-caught seafood build the immune system, improve brain and nerve function, and maintain overall health. For more affordable personal healthcare, it’s never too late to establish a proactive lifestyle.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

Congressional Budget Office

Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitiveness by Council on Foreign Relations

The Cost of Chronic Diseases and Health Risk Behavior by CDC

$1 of Every $5 Spent in Us Will Be on Health Care by CNBC

Preventing Infectious Diseases by Mayo Clinic

Bill Clinton Calls Obamacare 'The Craziest Thing in the World,' Later Tries to Walk it Back by CNN

Exiting the Exchange: Insurers Fleeing Health-care Exchanges Nationwide

Obama Lied. My Third Health Plan Just Died.  By Michelle Malkin