Column #75

The cost of healthcare is 18% of the GNP. Of that, 85% is spent on chronic diseases caused mostly by poor diets.

Is healthcare a right? One side says “everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, which includes access to all medical services, sanitation, adequate food, decent housing, healthy working conditions, and a clean environment.”

The other side says “rights are the freedom to act, not receive.” When one side receives by decree, that enslaves those whose assets and incomes are confiscated.

If you were King for a day, how would you resolve the healthcare dilemma?

Some options are: socialization, self funding, savings plans, pooling, charity, and insurance.

A socialized system would be similar to schools. Some services would remain private while most would be public. All citizens would be taxed. Would it be a property tax or sales tax? Would healthcare services be managed like the Veterans Health Administration?

Self funding, savings plans, and pooling with friends or organizations are options that may not be universally viable. But they would work for groups who are successfully proactive with their health.

Charity is always welcomed, but it’s not likely a standalone solution when healthcare consumes 18% of the GNP.

Insurance has many sticking points. To start with, if it’s used to pay for all healthcare, then like requiring insurance for all cars on the road, all people must buy insurance.

Insurance isn’t sustainable unless fees are based on actuarial studies. There are many forms of insurance: fire, life, theft, vehicle, injury, liability, weather, flood, medical care, and more. All have stipulations and variable fees based on risk assessments.

It’s easy to insure for accidents because they are predictable and rare. But when the entire population is on fire with chronic diseases and low risk participants are charged the same as high risk participants, insurance won’t work.

Another factor is our aging population. Between 1960 and 1980 the average age in America hovered around 30. Now it’s pushing 38. Currently 8,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every day. In seven years the number of enrollees in Medicare is expected to increase from 5.9 million to 7.4 million. That’s bad enough, but as people live longer because of drugs and operations, each additional year of life gets more expensive. That compounds healthcare costs on working citizens. In 1950 there were 7.11 workers per retiree, 4.65 in 2000, 3.99 in 2015, with 2.67 projected for 2030.

Without stipulations, education requirements, mandatory checkups, more emphasis on safety, consequences for risky behavior, and discounts for good behavior there is no way any insurance system can provide affordable and comprehensive health insurance. Plus insurance companies need the medical community on board with the world’s top nutritionists to “require” consumers to change their diets. Agriculture and the food industries would follow their lead.

My guess is that unless things change, universal healthcare will require an 18% national sales tax.

Whew! Wouldn’t it be healthier and less expensive to promote The Real Diet of Man and be proactive in explaining that to everyone?

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

What is the Human Right to Health and Health Care?

Health Care Is Not a Right, By Leonard Peikoff, Ph.D.

Workers per Retiree

Total Fertility Rate

UN Base Case Shows Massive Depopulation Among Young...

Veterans Health Administration

Ratio of Covered Workers to Beneficiaries