Do You Have Enough Health Assurance?

By Keli MacIntosh

We have all had the question “Do I have enough health insurance?” on our minds lately—maybe more often than we would have liked. But how many of us have taken the time to consider how much health assurance we have?

By health assurance I mean our ability to maintain a state of well being when our body and immune system are being challenged. How do you fare when the flu bugs come to town? Are you frequently sick at the end of a hectic week?

After the recent bioterrorism scares our government has set up a protocol for the order in which individuals would be vaccinated. Naturally the first responders (the front line fighters like emergency room staffs) would get vaccinated before the general public. This makes sense. But what if you don’t work in a hospital? How would your body handle such an exposure?

Even if the resources are available, covering the expense leaves us with another huge problem. The pharmaceutical companies are up in arms because many Americans are buying their drugs from Canada. Seniors are demanding that Medicare cover more of their health-related expenses. Employers say they have to cut health coverage to maintain a healthy financial statement. Employees are paying out of pocket for most of their routine medical care because of the high deductibles.

I often wonder why the same attention isn’t put toward finding ways to assure the health of our country. We pay more per capita for health care than any other country in the world; yet we rank only 15th-25th when assessed for the quality of health of the American population. In a recent program on National Public Radio Daniel Callahan, founder of the Hastings Center, spoke about what he sees as the future of health care in the US. He commented that we are drifting in the direction where only the extremely wealthy will be able to afford health care. So, if you weren’t lucky enough to be born independently wealthy, what will you do?

New technology makes medical assessment and treatment unbelievably expensive. Insurance companies cannot afford to cover the claims; the average family cannot afford the cost of adequate insurance. It was recently announced that the second leading cause of bankruptcy in this country is medical claims. I get very concerned when I look into the future and see the majority of people in our country dependent on a system that is not capable of looking after their needs.

Perhaps we should look at a different side of this picture. Maybe it’s not so much that the system is incapable, but simply unwilling. Consider this: During another NPR program dealing with health issues a caller detailed his experiences trying to get the best price for his medicine. He paid $2.60 per pill when buying in the US; but was, at the time, able to get a generic version from Canada for $1.30 per pill. Later, when traveling in India, he got the same generic pills for 8 cents each!!! That’s 1/30th the price he paid in the US. He called to question the logic behind such a drastic price discrepancy. Do the drug companies really need to charge $2.50 more PER PILL to cover the cost of their research?

A recent AARP article told of how some American pharmaceutical companies are refusing to sell medications to any Canadian company that has been known to resell to American customers. What does this show about their motivation? If they can make enough of a profit selling at lower prices to Canadians, why can’t the same financial structure apply in the states?

One can’t help but wonder if the major players in the medical field aren’t more concerned over how much money they are making than they are about how many people are actually able to benefit from their products.

And the insurance situation is looking more like a lose-lose situation for everybody. I know of a hospital employee who, because of recent changes in his family’s health coverage, pays $1000 a month in co-payments for necessary medications. He once told me that he knew he and his wife (who also works full time at the hospital) would never get out of debt. Should we expect the insurance companies to pay for everything?

So what will happen to people like this when our less-than-adequate system stops providing? Will health care really be available to only the wealthy while those less fortunate are left to die? I’m not just trying to paint a picture of doom and gloom. What I want is for people to take a good look at how precarious their health status may be. Is there some way they could take a little more control of their health? Is there a way they could become less dependent on the medical establishment for their physical well being?

This article cannot provide the answers. I’m not even sure that I have the answers. I just want to make sure as many people as possible are aware of all the questions.

How about looking at some ways to support your health?

• Become more aware of your actual nutritional intake. Americans are traditionally overfed and undernourished. Obesity rates are rising hand in hand with new diagnosis of disease.
  
  
• Limit your toxic intake and cleanse your body of toxins. This one is difficult for most people to appreciate because many toxins are hidden from us. Do you know that many ocean-caught fish are thrown into vats of formaldehyde to keep them “fresh” during the long trip back to port?
  
  
• Drink more PURE water. We shouldn’t need to be pushed through our day by caffeine/sugar fixes.

These are just a few simple things you can do that could actually decrease your need for health care and some medications. I have always thought the best way to deal with the medical establishment is not to need it. Hopefully, after giving this subject some serious thought and instituting some subtle/gradual changes in your lifestyle, you will find yourself on the sidelines, no longer involved in the struggle with our medical system. You can be assured that your health is in good standing.

May your lifestyle be a healthy one!

Keli MacIntosh has over 35 years of experience in the medical field as a Registered Nurse. She is also a Certified Nutritional Consultant and regional manager of Natural Health Specialists. For a health consultation including a Live Cell Analysis, for training in the use of the darkfield microscope, or for Ionic Cleanse sessions call Keli at (231) 946-3872.