Taking Your Health to a Personal Level

Professor,

Well said! I believe patient behavior has been a complete disconnect concerning a wellness plan, when you are not directly paying for it and strains the system from scarce resources.

It was true in my personal journey when diagnosed diabetic, caring the Cadillac card of Blue Cross and Blue Shield at the time. I cared little to comply because my plan had no restrictions to health care and I continued to take the easy way out by medication, insulin, ER visits if my blood sugar became to high because I ate the wrong things that day.

Through one tragic experience to the next I lost coverage, could not afford to gap it with COBRA, and the walls went up and I had no access to health care. I had to spend down to lower paying jobs so I could get on a Government program for diabetics. Realizing that this was a self defeating course and would lead to poverty I had to take a hard look at my wellness plan.

I turned to folkways, and alternate medication found in natural herbs. I achieved 12% body fat through diet and exercise, I learned the value of meditation and how it greatly combats stress which causes sugar spikes. In short I reversed my chronic condition, caused by healthy life style changes alone.

I am no miracle, but stand in awe of what is possible, when you apply what you learn by incorporating it in every day living. Insurance companies do not support wellness or their policies would reflect that direction. Rather they exploit the system and lobbied for restrictive measures when profits fall. Through large contracts they get the better price, far bellow an individual cost with no insurance. This is why the system is not transparent to the general public. It would be refreshing to see a billboard of prices for services on the wall.

Policy Answers:

Deflating premium when less resources are used in a definable period for a policy holder. In contrast inflated premiums when more resources are used. This would promote wellness.

Concerning chronic disease, you have to be even more focused and disciplined so in that respect the same scale should be used in changing premiums. With diabetics, we have blood work every three months that gives you a blood sugar level average for the last 120 days. This is a definable scale on how well the patient is practicing good life style changes or just using the system as I once entertained.

I am convinced Large insurance giants are out for the quick profit when they should be striking a cord for sustainability. However, they can always rely on Government bailouts when their greed crosses the line to RED.