The Key to Lowering Healthcare costs

$4.1 Trillion: that’s how much money was spent in 2020 for healthcare costs. As one-fifth of the economy, healthcare costs are a huge part of America’s economy and overall budget. But that’s the macrolevel of spending. What is the average cost for each American? That number comes out to be around $12, 318 per person. Of course, this is the average. For some people it is considerably more, and for others it is less.

The projected healthcare costs are expected to continually increase. And with this rise, the average American patient isn’t any better off through their healthcare treatment. In many cases, the United States does not rank near the top of any healthcare treatments for major diseases within the developed countries. So, we’re paying the most, but not even getting the best healthcare results. What’s even worse is that many experts determine that more than $1 Trillion is spent on healthcare services are wasteful and unnecessary. Think about that for a second: around 25% of healthcare services are wasteful or unnecessary. And yet, it is still spent. And unfortunately, Americans are paying the price through their health, or lack there of.

So what is the key to lowering healthcare costs? Is it government intervention through price controls, or through legislation? Could it be through an insurance company system overhaul? Or, perhaps it lies within redesigning the whole medical paradigm? Personally, I believe the two latter mentioned above are the most needed; however, that isn’t what is the key to lowering healthcare costs. Simply, the key to lowering healthcare costs is you - an empowered and informed patient - that makes lifestyle changes.

lifestyle change is the key

What if I told you that making lifestyle changes according to your nutrition, exercise, stress levels, toxic load, and sleep habits would save you money in the long term? Would you do them? If it meant less trips to the doctor, specialists, and time spent waiting at the pharmacy and other offices, would it be something that interested you to try?

Ironically, lifestyle changes are often recommended by doctors; however, they are usually said in passing at the end of the “15-minute appointment window” with no clear direction for the patient on what exactly they can or should do. And unfortunately, patients many times are left to wade through the “lifestyle change” waters on their own without a clear plan of how to get started, or what they can do to better their own health.

Making lifestyle changes is the key to lowering healthcare costs because it empowers you to take control of your health and make changes that apply to you. How can it lower costs? Let’s use diabetes as an example. The average healthcare cost per year for a diabetic is roughly $10,877. Broken down over the year, its a little over $900 a month. This cost is on top of all your other household costs such as mortgage/rent, utilities, groceries, transportation, etc. Plus, the average diabetic patient also has other comorbidities such as cardiovascular issues. When you add all of this together, that can be quite a hefty price tag since cardiovascular disease has an average yearly cost of about $18,935 per patient. Put them together and that’s nearly $30,000 a year. Yikes!

lifestyle changes to the rescue

With an established baseline cost in our example of $30,000, what kind of difference would lifestyle changes offer to lower those costs? Typically, a doctor recommends nutrition changes for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So, with a change in nutrition, a patient could start to lessen their inflammation and bring their bodies back into balance using more of a whole food, healthy diet approach.

Research done discovered that a healthier diet typically costs about $1.50 more a day than the Standard American Diet (SAD). Compound that $1.50 over the course of a year and you’ll end up spending $548 more a year on top of what you would’ve spent with just the SAD. But the quality of food you eat does make a difference. Cutting out highly processed foods, can often lower the risk for both of your diabetes and the cardiovascular disease medical issues, thereby lessening your medical costs. With less issues, there are less prescriptions, insulin, and trips to doctors, specialists, and pharmacies. You can start to bring down that average $900/month price tag.

And this example is just with a change in nutrition. Other changes such as exercise and physical movement make impacts on your health as well. Exercise or regular physical activity has been shown to help with weight management, combats against disease, boosts energy, improves brain function and mood, and promotes better sleep.

how to get started

It is always good to check with your doctor if you have health conditions to receive recommendations on what level of exercise is best to get started. The next thing is to layout what your health goals are, both the short-term and the long-term. Follow up with breaking down each goal into measurable smaller goals to make it more manageable. And don’t forget to celebrate every success when you accomplish them.

If you’re unsure how to get started, seeking out a health coach is a great resource. A Health Coach assists you in constructing your personalized plan and gives you support as you work through the goals in that plan.

improve your health, lower your healthcare costs

Making lifestyle changes not only benefits your health, but it also impacts your wallet. While your grocery bill may go up, it is more likely that your prescription and other medical costs may decrease as you change how you fuel your body. Plus, many exercises and physical activity can be done for free, so it won’t cost you anything but time. Countless studies have proven that lifestyle changes improve your health. The key is finding the changes that fit you, your goals, and your vision for optimal health.