We're #1

... and that's not good enough.


Riddle me this, Batman.  How is it the US gets so low a return on investment in health care?  


The US spends about $2.6 trillion annually on health care.  We're number one for spending in the world, more than any other county.  However, we don't crack the top ten of countries with the healthiest populations.


Why?  The lack of emphasis we place on prevention, wellness and health promotion efforts.  Healthy public policy is proven time and again to improve the health metrics of a population while simultaneously saving money.

The study For the Public's Health: Investing in a Healthier Future spells it out neatly:

The poor performance of the United States in life expectancy and other major health outcomes, as compared with its global peers reflects what the nation prioritizes in its health investments. It spends extravagantly on clinical care but meagerly on other types of population-based actions that influence health more profoundly than medical services. The health system’s failure to develop and deliver effective preventive strategies continues to take a growing toll on the economy and society.

Definition: We as a people are reactive, not proactive when it comes to health.  We eschew the ounce of prevention for the pound of cure.  We're so occupied attacking symptoms with the tenacious voracity of a badger that we forget to engage in the activities that would avoid the badger's fangs to begin with.  Our healthcare system is a hammer and we only care about the nails.


Ben Franklin idioms, badgers and hammers aside, the point is, time and again, funding for health promotion activities are cut.


Health promotion is defined as "the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve their health" and "the science and art of helping people change their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health".


We need to change how we spend our healthcare dollars and demand a better return on our investment.  We need stable funding for health promotion efforts to make a fundamental, and lasting, shift in our population's health.  We need to tackle the social determinants of health and give people the ability to have real control over their current and future health.


Or, take another $2.6 trillion in aspirin and call me in the morning.