The Cost Of Seniors Health Care And Other Medical Costs

Healthday News in an article published in the New Orleans Times Picayune of 11-23-08 reported the following.  Researchers who analyzed Medical and National Health Interview Survey data reported the cost of medical and productivity for 2007 among Americans 65 years and older was $196 Billion.  This covered six major illnesses examined in the study:  Chronic Lung disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, pneumonia and gastrointestinal illness.  The cost in 2000 was $135 billion.

 

Ischemic heart disease was the most expensive at $60 billion.  These cost are expected to go up as people live longer.  I have commented before about this problem and how common sense can reduce this ever increasing cost burden on our people and the country.  Another report in the September/October 2008 issue of WebMD magazine points out the cost of allergies medication cost $5.7 billion annually while visits to doctors cost $300 million for office visits. 

 

The answer is prevention and education that people can easily do and obtain to reduce their dependence on prescription drugs and medical cost.  Most seniors belong to HMO's and many provide free membership at fitness centers that provide regular exercise work outs, cardiac exercise and other information on how to take care of ones health.  It is known that some forms of high blood pressure and diabetes can be controlled with out medication with the proper diet and exercise.  Other health problems can be helped in the same way.

 

Cities, states and the federal government should have as a priority programs to educate the people what can be done to better take care of their health and reduce their medical cost.  This should be done on a regular sustained basis and people should be urged to be a part of prevention at an early age.  Governments can do this through advertising, the inter net, literature, public announcements and other avenues that would not be costly to governments.

 

Prevention is the vehicle that will not only lower medical cost for the individual and government, it will also lead to a more active and healthy life style for the people.  The alternative is the price we are now paying with no end in sight.  There is no government or individual who can afford to pay for future health cost at the increases we have seen in the last 10 years.  Prevention and a good physical fitness program will allow the people to take charge and control their own health and medical cost.