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Without tackling the obesity/sedentary/nutrition problems the healthcare issue will persist. Similarly the opioid/meth epidemics of the last 2 decades are not

Without tackling the obesity/sedentary/nutrition problems the healthcare issue will persist. Similarly the opioid/meth epidemics of the last 2 decades are not (just) healthcare problems.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
xtian 7y ago
You can’t divorce poor life choices from the economic context they are made within. These are complex issues, but is it controversial to say that people are more interested in investing in their health when they have less stress and more opportunity? Likewise, you aren’t going to get a healthcare system which can make a meaningful impact on improving the lifestyles of the kinds of people you’re talking about without changing the current economic incentives.
dragonwriter 7y ago
> Without tackling the obesity/sedentary/nutrition problems the healthcare issue will persist. Without healthcare system improvements, you aren't going to succeed in tackling those. But, yes, it's true that there are more problems with US health than the health care system (though the issues in the broader economy that are at issue are very similar to those effecting the helathcare system.)
- ronnier 7y ago
  What kind of improvements?
  - toomuchtodo 7y ago
    I imagine being able to go to a doctor without worrying about whether they can afford the copay. Wellness is as much about needing a coach as it is a medical practitioner.
Angostura 7y ago
A good public healthcare system actually puts money into trying to address those problems, as does the government who pays for it. A private healthcare system may be a little more... ambivalent.
- ronnier 7y ago
  How?
  - toomuchtodo 7y ago
    Private healthcare optimizes for profits and value extraction. Public healthcare optimizes (one would assume with the proper governance, oversight, and controls) for quality of life, but also for reducing costs (it's cheaper to treat your type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise before we have to start amputating appendages and you have chronic issues, for example). Disclaimer: Medicare For All (single payer) supporter
    - cabaalis 7y ago
      I'm in the healthcare analytics industry. I see the private payers optimizing for the things you say they don't. It's simply more profitable to have a healthier patient.
      - toomuchtodo 7y ago
        https://www.axios.com/health-care-industry-on-track-massive-q2-profits-1533226387-dacec8f8-c9f5-406c-a49e-1103e3316c64.html https://www.axios.com/health-care-industry-on-track-massive-... (Health care industry on track for massive profits) https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2019/08/04/as-sanders-and-warren-attack-private-health-insurer-profits-soar/#478a4c08532b https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2019/08/04/as-sande... (As Sanders And Warren Attack, Health Insurer Profits Soar; "Take Humana, which last week said it made more than $1 billion in profits in the second quarter and raised its earnings and revenue forecast for the rest of the year thanks to growth of seniors signing up to Medicare Advantage plans. Cigna, too, which said it made more than $1 billion in the second-quarter, also increased its earnings forecast last week for the rest of the year. And the week before, Anthem, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in 14 states, also reported more than $1 billion in profits in its second quarter and said its profits are ahead of expectations for the year due in part to the money its making off of government contracts with Medicare and Medicaid programs. Meanwhile, UnitedHealth Group's UnitedHealthcare health insurance unit reported last month $2.6 billion in earnings from operations in the second quarter and the parent company boosted its earnings forecast for 2019.") https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/05/top-health-insurers-profit-surge-29-percent-to-6-billion-dollars.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/05/top-health-insurers-profit-s... (As Obamacare twists in political winds, top insurers made $6 billion) https://www.gq.com/story/eat-the-health-care-ceos https://www.gq.com/story/eat-the-health-care-ceos (Last year, 62 CEOs of health-care companies made a combined total of $1.1 billion in compensation. That's according to a new report out from Axios, which coincidentally notes that CEO compensation eclipses what the Centers for Disease Control spent on chronic disease prevention by $157 million; The average CEO makes $18 million annually while one out of every five Americans is struggling with medical debt.) Those profits (which you mention they're optimizing for) are dollars that could be used to improve healthcare delivery. That's actual care someone could receive, instead of going to unnecessary middlemen and shareholders.
C1sc0cat 7y ago
Ban advertising of prescription drugs to the gen pop

Without tackling the obesity/sedentary/nutrition problems the healthcare issue will persist. Similarly the opioid/meth epidemics of the last 2 decades are not (just) healthcare problems.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

xtian 7y ago

You can’t divorce poor life choices from the economic context they are made within. These are complex issues, but is it controversial to say that people are more interested in investing in their health when they have less stress and more opportunity? Likewise, you aren’t going to get a healthcare system which can make a meaningful impact on improving the lifestyles of the kinds of people you’re talking about without changing the current economic incentives.

dragonwriter 7y ago

> Without tackling the obesity/sedentary/nutrition problems the healthcare issue will persist. Without healthcare system improvements, you aren't going to succeed in tackling those. But, yes, it's true that there are more problems with US health than the health care system (though the issues in the broader economy that are at issue are very similar to those effecting the helathcare system.)

ronnier 7y ago
What kind of improvements?
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  I imagine being able to go to a doctor without worrying about whether they can afford the copay. Wellness is as much about needing a coach as it is a medical practitioner.

Angostura 7y ago

A good public healthcare system actually puts money into trying to address those problems, as does the government who pays for it. A private healthcare system may be a little more... ambivalent.

ronnier 7y ago
How?
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  Private healthcare optimizes for profits and value extraction. Public healthcare optimizes (one would assume with the proper governance, oversight, and controls) for quality of life, but also for reducing costs (it's cheaper to treat your type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise before we have to start amputating appendages and you have chronic issues, for example). Disclaimer: Medicare For All (single payer) supporter
  - cabaalis 7y ago
    I'm in the healthcare analytics industry. I see the private payers optimizing for the things you say they don't. It's simply more profitable to have a healthier patient.
    - toomuchtodo 7y ago
      https://www.axios.com/health-care-industry-on-track-massive-q2-profits-1533226387-dacec8f8-c9f5-406c-a49e-1103e3316c64.html https://www.axios.com/health-care-industry-on-track-massive-... (Health care industry on track for massive profits) https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2019/08/04/as-sanders-and-warren-attack-private-health-insurer-profits-soar/#478a4c08532b https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2019/08/04/as-sande... (As Sanders And Warren Attack, Health Insurer Profits Soar; "Take Humana, which last week said it made more than $1 billion in profits in the second quarter and raised its earnings and revenue forecast for the rest of the year thanks to growth of seniors signing up to Medicare Advantage plans. Cigna, too, which said it made more than $1 billion in the second-quarter, also increased its earnings forecast last week for the rest of the year. And the week before, Anthem, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in 14 states, also reported more than $1 billion in profits in its second quarter and said its profits are ahead of expectations for the year due in part to the money its making off of government contracts with Medicare and Medicaid programs. Meanwhile, UnitedHealth Group's UnitedHealthcare health insurance unit reported last month $2.6 billion in earnings from operations in the second quarter and the parent company boosted its earnings forecast for 2019.") https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/05/top-health-insurers-profit-surge-29-percent-to-6-billion-dollars.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/05/top-health-insurers-profit-s... (As Obamacare twists in political winds, top insurers made $6 billion) https://www.gq.com/story/eat-the-health-care-ceos https://www.gq.com/story/eat-the-health-care-ceos (Last year, 62 CEOs of health-care companies made a combined total of $1.1 billion in compensation. That's according to a new report out from Axios, which coincidentally notes that CEO compensation eclipses what the Centers for Disease Control spent on chronic disease prevention by $157 million; The average CEO makes $18 million annually while one out of every five Americans is struggling with medical debt.) Those profits (which you mention they're optimizing for) are dollars that could be used to improve healthcare delivery. That's actual care someone could receive, instead of going to unnecessary middlemen and shareholders.

C1sc0cat 7y ago

Ban advertising of prescription drugs to the gen pop