HEALTH CARE, NOT DISEASE CARE

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7 out of 10 deaths in the U.S. are caused by chronic disease. Roughly half of the country’s population has been diagnosed with chronic illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, AIDS and more – all conditions that have been classified by medical experts as preventable.

Preventative care can be achieved in many ways: Routine checkups, screenings, physicals, standard immunizations, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are a vital part of this country’s health standards. Unfortunately, in some ways those standards are being eroded away by various institutions. Lack of preventative care in the current U.S. healthcare system is what separates us from the rest of the world – whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is mostly a matter of opinion – but the Advocate staff here can name several individual experiences that don’t suggest confidence in the current system.

For most people, the complexities of insurance, Medicare, primary care providers, and all of the other extra institutional odds and ends can prevent regular folks from seeing a doctor. Finding a primary care provider close to your residence can be the difference between seeing a medical professional within the week, or waiting six months. By the time you can find a doctor, a lot of things can happen that you don’t know about. It’s a reality that we want to pretend is “normal,” but it shouldn’t be.

As a nation, we pay more for health insurance, yet our health outcomes are worse and our life expectancy ranks only 53rd worldwide. Medical mistakes are believed to be the third-leading cause of death here. The entirety of our healthcare system is being overworked. Not only does this lead to an increase in neglect and poor quality of care, but being overworked also drains health workers’ enthusiasm and desire to be on duty. Physicians get paid based on the volume of patients they can see in a day, and not just on the quality of their care.

So, do you want to go to the doctor’s for a small health issue, or skip out to just not have to deal with potential problems that come with visiting?

Nursing homes take the fall of decreased quality of care, as well, due to understaffed/overworked caregivers. Residents or their families often complain about the amount of time taken to answer “call lights,” for one example. What isn’t being taken into consideration is the side of the staff, and why it may take a long time to respond. Legally, CNAs (certified nursing assistants) can be in charge of 7.5 patients during day shift; 9.5 during evening shift; and 16 for night or “graveyard.” Even though this is legal, it is no easy task. If the facility is understaffed, CNAs need to care for more patients and are likely to work longer hours, with few or no breaks. 

These holes in the US healthcare system should be looked at from a different perspective with open minds. Preventative care is one of the solutions. About 65% of Americans are overweight and almost 75% of healthcare costs are spent on preventable diseases that are the major causes of disability and death in our society.

Simple things such as regular checkups, eating healthy and regular physical exercise go a long way to impede health issues from arising. For those times when preventative care does not cut it, the U.S. should move toward universal healthcare. A different system from the one we currently have could help people get care before it’s too late. A new system could also prevent neglect in healthcare facilities by eliminating the socio-economic barriers between expensive and affordable care.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a pillar of our American ideals – what’s a ‘pursuit of happiness’ without fundemental support of healthy lives?