This is kind of reflective of health care in general actually. The system in use (this isn't just the United States by the way, it's most of the Western world)

This is kind of reflective of health care in general actually. The system in use (this isn't just the United States by the way, it's most of the Western world) is that we live in some state of 'healthiness' for most of our lives, where we do not interact regularly with health professionals (not just doctors) - except perhaps a pharmacist to fill some regular prescription. Our interactions are clustered -after- we are deamed unhealthy. Only once the need is most urgent do try to become 'healthy' again. This predictably leads to a culture that favours drugs and surgery as solutions. This is so engrained that health care practically IS synonymous with drugs and surgery. This bias exists in everyone, from the health care professionals, to those who are sick, to those to who are healthy, to those who would lead us. We all have it. The 'unintended consequences' of such a policy are the problems facing nearly all 1st world health care systems. Surging costs, potentially unsustainable growth, constant doubts of effectiveness (and actual questionable effectiveness in some areas), and in general, a culture that more or less treats staying healthy as a bang-bang control system.