The United States offers many opportunities in life that many other nations can’t match. Unfortunately, remaining HEALTHY as one ages is not one of these benefits.
(REFERENCE: How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally)
When comparing our Health Care System internationally, the U.S. ranked 11th out of 11 nations. We ranked 1st, however, in health care costs per capita (per person.) When looking at the graph above, we spent between 50% to 167% more PER PERSON than any other country while achieving the worst ranking for HEALTHY LIVES. Although the United Kingdom was one of the highest ranking countries in (1) Quality Care, (2) Access, (3) Efficiency, and (4) Equity, it still ranked 10th WORST in HEALTHY LIVES.)
This proves one very simple, yet important fact:
HEALTHY LIVING IS NOT BASED ON (1) PER CAPITA (PER PERSON) SPENDING, (2) QUALITY CARE, (3) ACCESS, (4) EFFICIENCY OR (5) EQUITY IN HEALTH CARE!
Healthy living (to a large extent) is based on individual choices of LIFESTYLE! This graph proves relying on ANY health care system independent of personal lifestyle for long term quality living results in POOR HEALTH OUTCOMES.
WHY?
Health care systems are primarily designed to ASSIST health imbalances. They are not designed to provide the only supportive component to manage and/or restore health to the body (and mind.) The nations with the HEALTHIEST LIVES (France, Sweden and Switzerland) clearly do not provide the best quality of care (according to the study.) Their citizens, however, take greater responsibility for personal health style choices.
This emphasizes the role of the individual in determining (to a large extent) the quality of health achieved and maintained over one’s lifespan.
Hopefully, the above graph better illustrates this REALITY to help each reader understand that implementing essential lifestyle needs is the basis of HEALTHY LIVING. It is NOT based on the health care system of any nation! The graph also emphasizes how the consumer supports insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions in the United States while receiving an INFERIOR quality of care. Our over priced health care system doesn’t even achieve a longer life expectancy (shown in the graph below.)
(REFERENCE: Washington Post The U.S. ranks 26th for life expectancy, right behind Slovenia)
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The moral of the story is simple:
If each of us continues to rely on our doctors and our health care system for healthy living (INDEPENDENT OF OUR INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES,) we can expect to pay astronomical fees for INFERIOR quality of services while living UNHEALTHIER SHORTER LIVES.
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IF YOU’RE UNWILLING TO CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE, WHAT FACTS SUPPORT YOUR BELIEF FOR A BETTER PERSONAL OUTCOME?
All About Healthy Choices 
No matter how great the health plan – you need to use it. I used to work with a girl who kept up her insurance for 10 years and never once saw her doctor.
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An important point is even if we use health plans, we must realize the end result is NOT GOOD HEALTH. Good health plans should be used when function requires TEMPORARY assistance to overcome acute problems requiring immediate stabilization. Once the body is stable, lifestyle “remedies” (non inflammatory food choices, exercise to stimulate healthy lymph flow and maintain healthy vascular flexibility, etc…) should be implemented to produce LONG TERM healthy outcomes. Relying on long term pharmaceutical products only maintains long term chronic disease.
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I agree about everything. Despite the the NHS provides an amazing service in uk, habits of the British are awful. Fast food, subway, Mcdonald and fish and chips every day! 😱 In France and Switzerland, people do care about their diet. This is the only way to respect your body. Don’t know why people don’t understand they are what they eat.
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They don’t want to realize this. Eating unhealthy fast food (temporarily) satisfies emotional stress while disrupting normal endocrine balance. This results in serious digestive complications (ex. leaky gut, chronic inflammation) as well as food addictions. People don’t equate these life altering conditions with fast food products.
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Very interesting…
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Interesting comments and as a Brit living in Thailand …I see many nationalities and I don’t think the habits of the Brits are any worse than many others….Stat are ok but only taken from a proportion of the population and often not current… I think slowly eating habits are improving worldwide but in countries which have been introduced later to the fast food culture and I am speaking about what I see here are becoming as addicted as western cultures…If governments stopped pouring money into vaccination programmes and the ilk but concentrated on the Health of the nation and put as much effort into that we would see faster results and less reliance on overstretched health services. It is a no brainer really but who am I ??? Not even a tiny cog..Great post Dr J.j
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Unfortunately governments run on money. When choosing between policies that support healthy living or support major industries, governments choose the latter. To a large extent, MONEY influences and controls behaviors. As long as governments are PERCEIVED as “protectors of the masses,” they will continue to function in the manner that supports big business, which in turn, supports politicians and their influence on government policies.
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No hope for the masses then?
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Not until they are willing to provide hope for themselves. You can lead a horse to water…
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Very interesting post with points that make sense! It is true we must have a good lifestyle to provide good health! Noone can do that for us.
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Well said. It appears the “action part” of following through with what we know impedes the results many desire.
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yes very true
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I see some of your posts landed up in my spam !!!! I wondered where you had ventured !!!
Great post !!! and really interesting.
Look where South Africa is on the graph !!! The bottom line is, it is all about choice, no matter what.
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We can look at where South Africa is from two perspectives:
1. It is in last place 😦
2. It has the greatest room of any of the listed nations for improvement 😀
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[…] Can We Rely On ANY Health Care System To Create Healthy Living? […]
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