|
Posted by Don on December 22, 2007, 2:03 pm
On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 08:27:18 -0800, Elizabeth Richardson wrote
> One of the main reasons seniors become impoverished is because they didn't
> do sufficient financial planning when they were younger. As to your health
> reasoning, many younger people in the US have a difficult time today with
> medical costs because they do not try to live a healthy life. This has a
> ripple effect.
Hmmm. I suppose the people and their elected officials in Canada and those
European countries never figured that out. Maybe they are taking the wrong
approach entirely. Maybe they should dismantle their government sponsored
health plans and privatize everything again and then try to convince all the
people to do better financial planning and give up junk food. I wonder how
many people in those countries would listen to that kind of advice and keep a
straight face.
|
|
Posted by Elizabeth Richardson on December 22, 2007, 3:05 pm
>
>try to convince all the
> people to do better financial planning and give up junk food. I wonder how
> many people in those countries would listen to that kind of advice and
keep a
> straight face.
65% of all deaths in the US (maybe worldwide, but I don't know that
statistic) due to diabetes, heart disease and stroke are preventable. Living
with diabetes is a very expensive. It would be far wiser, including
financially wiser, to do the things that prevent it rather than doing the
things to treat it. And yes, that includes limiting junk food, but it also
includes exercise. One of the front-running presidential hopefuls talks
about revamping our health care system to that of preventive care rather
than disease care. He is not being laughed off the podium.
Elizabeth Richardson
|
|
Posted by Don on December 22, 2007, 3:42 pm
On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:05:44 -0800, Elizabeth Richardson wrote
> 65% of all deaths in the US (maybe worldwide, but I don't know that
> statistic) due to diabetes, heart disease and stroke are preventable. Living
> with diabetes is a very expensive. It would be far wiser, including
> financially wiser, to do the things that prevent it rather than doing the
> things to treat it. And yes, that includes limiting junk food, but it also
> includes exercise. One of the front-running presidential hopefuls talks
> about revamping our health care system to that of preventive care rather
> than disease care. He is not being laughed off the podium.
Agreed that prevention and healthful living are highly desirable and would
bring about great savings in the long run. But, still, the crux of the matter
is the lack of health care for disadvantaged people (something like 40
million people or 14% of the US population with no health care at all). And a
much larger percentage who are one serious illness away from loss of health
care and bankrluptcy. What's more, some of the same factors that are
responsible for poor insurance coverage also make it difficult for
impoverished people to get enough healthy food and exercise. If you live in
substandard housing or in the slums it is hard to go jogging after a day's
work, or do push-ups in a small living room with all the kids and cats
running around. In some places it is hard to find good food at the corner
rip-off market.
|
|
Posted by Elle on December 22, 2007, 5:08 pm
snip for brevity
> It would be far wiser, including
> financially wiser, to do the things that prevent it rather
> than doing the
> things to treat it. And yes, that includes limiting junk
> food, but it also
> includes exercise. One of the front-running presidential
> hopefuls talks
> about revamping our health care system to that of
> preventive care rather
> than disease care. He is not being laughed off the podium.
I should amend my earlier comments to note that, if some
sort of national health care reform takes place, then its
including as its main thrust a head-on, full-speed effort in
preventive medicine would give me much more hope that costs
and access (fueled by reduced demand) would improve.
Safeway grocery stores CEO Steve Burd has been leading a
movement for health care reform. By my understanding Burd is
known to be, of course, an enthusiastic capitalist and
mostly conservative. The underlying principle of his health
care movement is preventive medicine. He implemented a
preventive plan with Safeway employees, and he has the
numbers (less dollars spent on health insurance; better
overall health for employees) to prove its effect.
Wal-Mart has begun to undertake a similar effort,
emphasizing preventive medicine and giving its employees
incentives (bucks) to quit smoking, lose weight, etc. All in
the name of making a buck. But to say the least, a nice side
effect is that everyone is healthier.
Business owners coming here for advice, take note. Those
working for companies where the costs of health benefits
have been rising, urge your companies to study and implement
Safeway's model.
|
|
Posted by Will Trice on December 22, 2007, 4:17 pm
Don wrote:
> I wonder if it might be a good idea to put just half as much into LTC
> insurance, in hopes that government assistance will pick up in years to come,
> and invest the other half into financial products with growth potential.
I would hazard that most financial planners would not give advice based
on "hopes" for the future. And hopes that the government will expand
current federal medical programs in the near future may be unfounded.
Programs such as Medicare are getting into trouble financially. Given
the American distaste for taxation (not that anyone really likes to be
taxed), paying for current levels of service, let alone additional
services, will be troublesome.
-Will
william dot trice at ngc dot com
|
| Similar Threads | Posted | | FROM THE MODERATORS: Long term health care plans | December 22, 2007, 7:49 pm |
| long term care and Medicare | September 19, 2008, 4:14 pm |
| Using CPI as basis for long term care policy | January 31, 2007, 8:30 am |
| Source of info on long term care insurance | October 24, 2006, 7:20 pm |
| "Typical" long-term care cost estimates? | August 21, 2007, 5:19 am |
| Retirement Health care premiums | April 23, 2008, 11:48 am |
| PLanning for health care costs in retirement | February 28, 2008, 1:40 pm |
| Why Is The US Ranked 37th In Health Care by WHO? Would I Really Want To Retire Here? | February 29, 2008, 1:46 pm |
| Can a short term capital loss balance long term capital gains? | October 19, 2008, 8:11 am |
| Long Term Goal | October 25, 2007, 5:06 am |
|
|
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap