We Got It Backwards On Healthcare Costs Who Really Cost Us $$$$$%%

[Disco Stu]

I often hear the argument of poor choices and the associated healthcare costs

First it was cigarettes and the tobacco companies Now we are targeting soft drinks and restaurant chains

But who REALLY COSTS lots of money well it's you healthy people who live long into old age

Generally Smokers and Fat people shave about 25 years off their lifespans sure they got problems but they don't live long enough to have ongoing acute problems or on to need 5-10 years of nursing home care before they die

You healthy people blame fast food and cigarettes but infact it's YOU HEALTHY PEOPLE who will live long enough to really cost us money

Agree or disagree

Let's discuss

[Deadwood]

I often hear the argument of poor choices and the associated healthcare costs

First it was cigarettes and the tobacco companies Now we are targeting soft drinks and restaurant chains

But who REALLY COSTS lots of money well it's you healthy people who live long into old age

Generally Smokers and Fat people shave about 25 years off their lifespans sure they got problems but they don't live long enough to have ongoing acute problems or on to need 5-10 years of nursing home care before they die

You healthy people blame fast food and cigarettes but infact it's YOU HEALTHY PEOPLE who will live long enough to really cost us money

Agree or disagree

Let's discuss

Discuss? Let's do. But, put some facts in the OP instead of a collected opinions....

Then compare the nation's soft drink consumption, sugar, fast food, and the for profit system and see what you get.

There is a reason the average American pre teen is 30 lbs over weight, lagging in school, and gas a life expectancy 2.3 year less than a year.

This things are all available.

But without the data to back it up, it's wall paper.

Good topic though, now try Google

[Peter1469]

I take the premise of the OP to be:

Those with poor lifestyle choices die early, and end up costing society less in health care costs and retirement costs.

If so, that may very well be true. In college I used to joke: save social security- smoke.

[lynn]

I do agree with the OP that it is those lifestyles bad choices will prevent them from living to retirement age to collect S.S. I have a niece who at age 32 died of a heart attack because she ate junk food all of her life. There has been articles that state that the current generations will not live as long as the older generations due to changes in how young children are being raised on fast food and little physical activity.

The insurance companies want all of us healthy so we rarely require healthcare while our government wants us all to die before we reach 65 to collect benefits. The Affordable Care Act that insists it wants Americans to have preventative care in hopes of better lifestyles may create an unsustainable cost after most manage to live beyond 65 on our government.

As it is right now those Americans that are 65 and older did live a healthy lifestyle are constantly living in fear that social security is going to be taken away from them. Given these two choices of living a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle leaves me to believe that an unhealthy one is better so I can die sooner in old age. What I fear most is not being physically able to support myself in old age as this would be a slow death.

[Deadwood]

I take the premise of the OP to be:

Those with poor lifestyle choices die early, and end up costing society less in health care costs and retirement costs.

If so, that may very well be true. In college I used to joke: save social security- smoke.

It ignores so may other factors. One, people who live longer than the average life expectancy tend to cost the system less as they don't generally develop diseases especailly those associated with poor lifestyle.

ANd, it does not include the cost of smoking cessation medications, not the companion diseases associated with smoking, respiratory and cardiac. Nor does the OP take into account the cost of keeping these people alive with everything from inhaler's, oxygen bottles, open heart surgery, lung transplants and all that.

There there are the 1,400 diseases associated with obesity, including heart disease, liver disease, hip replacements, and, or course, the disease we will ALL get if we live long enough, diabetes and all the problems and check ups and eye surgery and amputations associated with that.

Now, compare the cost of providing meds, the accessories so they can, care givers and all the need to see a doctor for a 65 year old obese, chain smoker and the cost of a healthy 65 year old no meds, providing for himself and paying taxes, buying presents for his kids and grandkids.

The thought that being healthy and living longer being a drain on society is a little too grotesque and gruesomely "Eugenics" for my liking.

It makes more sense to try to prevent the problem.

[Adelaide]

Unhealthy people (in terms of lifestyle) are the largest stressor on any healthcare system; the diseases and disorders associated with poor health are often chronic and require long-term treatment and monitoring which costs an insane amount of money. Given how many people smoke, eat terribly/are obese, abuse substances, etc., you're looking at a very large portion of the population that is using a mass amount of resources and money.

[lynn]

And on the other end of the coin there are just as many people that develop lung disease that have never smoked nor been around second hand smoke. There are many people who had a active healthy lifestyle but still dropped dead of a heart attack. The myth that diabetes only affects obese people is a misconception since there are just as many thin people that develop diabetes. Our society cannot seem to eliminate sugar from many of our food products in addition to all those additives that can effect our DNA to cause mutations that develop diseases.

The big pharm industry is totally responsible for pushing meds and brainwashing society that convinces them they need it to live. The insurance industry wants to find any excuse to raise premiums in the name of profit so they will find anything that we do in lifestyle habits to apply cause of common diseases. Both large empires do not want science to find the cure for anything since it would eliminate the need for meds or health insurance.

Lastly we have our government that would like nothing more then to have the entire population of people 65 and older to die all at once so they don't have to repay the trust funds that they stole and were built off the hardworking backs of American citizens since it was created.

The reality is our society needs people that have unhealthy habits for it works to support the healthcare profession that has a high number of the employed in this country. Our government needs the majority of the population to die before 65 because they need the money from the payroll taxes of all these individuals to sustain government operations. The corporations that sell all of these unhealthy food products needs the unhealthy population to stay in business and provide employment to thousands in this country.

All of these unhealthy issues have been interwoven into society that many businesses are totally dependent on that population to make a living so when you state prevention as the solution, it ends up creating a domino effect of new problems for society to survive.

[lynn]

People with these chronic conditions consist of 1% of the population and it the health insurance companies that make it seem that is costing healthcare to rise when it is purely greed from the insurance companies that don't want to pay on any claims.

[Disco Stu]

Unhealthy people (in terms of lifestyle) are the largest stressor on any healthcare system; the diseases and disorders associated with poor health are often chronic and require long-term treatment and monitoring which costs an insane amount of money. Given how many people smoke, eat terribly/are obese, abuse substances, etc., you're looking at a very large portion of the population that is using a mass amount of resources and money.

I never stated that they don't cost us money I'M just saying they die much sooner therefore it's a cost savings in the long run

Take my mom and dad

My father was 59 he smoked two packs aday he loved pizza Chinese buffets and Fried chicken and he drank everynight he had 2 survived the first two heart attacks but died the third he also had pulmonary disease from cigarettes and factory fumes and abunch of other problems he spent the last 3/4 years of his life on disability half bed ridden

My mother is 75 now and she lived much healthier she never smoked she likes wine but just afew glasses and is somewhat of a vegetarian but she has eyes problems a hip replacement surgery she's diabetic and is on a host of blood pressure and cholesterol medications and a host of other problems n hospital visits I can't remember

My mom is still living and no signs of going anytime soom

See what I mean

[Mister D]

Unhealthy people (in terms of lifestyle) are the largest stressor on any healthcare system; the diseases and disorders associated with poor health are often chronic and require long-term treatment and monitoring which costs an insane amount of money. Given how many people smoke, eat terribly/are obese, abuse substances, etc., you're looking at a very large portion of the population that is using a mass amount of resources and money.

That's obvious but I suppose some people will go to any length to justify their bad habits.