RECESSION HURTS HEALTH CARE

LESS MONEY HURTS HEALTH CARE

Increased poverty and loss of jobs are proving harmful to our health care.  A 1990 study showed people who earned under 50K lived shorter lives, and their social behavior of smoking and alcohol resulted in need for more health care.

The Poverty rate is up to 12.6% and those in severe poverty, earning under 10K, increased to 22.6%.  Seniors receiving Medicare helped this.  Personal Income is down except for the very rich.  The median real income dropped 4% between 1999-2004.  With the current recession the gap is widening.    Pretax income for the very rich increased from 31% to 44%.  The richest 1% earning over 250K, had their income doubled from 8% to 17% between 1980-2005.  A Corporative CEO median compensation was 33 million. 

Because everyone is seeing their income dropping with the current economic environment except for the most affluent, everyone’s health is being  affected.  This destabilizes civic health of the communities and increases demands on our health care system.  We should soon see more severe diseases and see them more often now that we all have fewer dollars.

Family budgets are hurt by rising medical costs, unemployment,  and rising medical insurance.  Losing your insurance results means not getting needed medications and not having health tests done.  Higher hospital admissions and increased cancer rates should result.

It may take a lifetime of poor eating, smoking, and inactivity to lead to cancer and other diseases.  We see unhealthy life styles in our youth today.  Lack of knowledge makes it difficult for them to change their behaviors. 

Increasing need for health care will make treatment more expensive for our aging population who are living longer.  Our health delivery system must plan for a greater volume of patients who are not insured.

The solutions are tough.  We need helpful economic measures, increased technical skill, more education, job retraining, improved school conditions, and more new family skills in caring for their aged relatives.

Yet there are powerful financial interests not to improve our personal income.  They must be prepared to deal with diseases that occur when people have money problems.

What do you think?  Visit www.americanacupuncture for more more blogging on controversial medical issues.  SOURCE: JAMA 10.24.07