To me, this is the strongest argument for a centralised health system, such as the UK NHS.
When you have one organisation responsible for health as a whole rather than just treatment, you can make better decisions. The usual example I give is that it's cheaper to give out the contraceptive pill than deal with pregnancies, but the same thinking applies to broader disease and health.
This holds true for many things. It’s easier to stay in shape and maintain a healthy weight than it is to recover from getting out of shape or overweight. The longer someone spends out of shape or overweight, the harder it becomes to escape the cycle. There’s no better time to start than now.
As for preventative medical treatment: This one is a difficult topic. There’s a popular misconception that getting a lot of different blood tests and imaging scans is a good idea to identify conditions early, but most people don’t understand that these tests (including imagine) are prone to a lot of false positives. Excessive testing has been shown time and time again to lead to unnecessary interventions, leading to worse outcomes on average. A number of previously routine medical tests are now not recommended until later age or until other symptoms appear because routine testing was producing too many unnecessary interventions, producing a net negative benefit.
It’s a hard concept to wrap our heads around when we’re so attached to the idea that more testing means better information. It’s a huge problem in the alternative medicine community where podcast grifters will encourage people to get various tests like organic acid tests or various “levels” testing, then prescribe complex treatment programs with dozens of supplements. The people chasing these tests then throw themselves far out of balance with excess supplements while sinking thousands of dollars into repeat testing
This sounds like an example of a fault in how to take action based on results vice a fault in getting too much data. Perhaps the conclusion you state about the better approach being to forego tests is true. For example, if emotional and legal factors prevent patients and providers from acting rationally here. Optimistically, we can do better.
So exercise, eating healthy, fasting, brushing/flossing teeth, consistent sleep schedule, daily sun exposure, good relationships, and stress management all depend on a health insurance plan?
I think you may be missing the point: preventative treatment is typically much less expensive, for instance behaviour and dietary changes do not require drugs at all and avoiding some conditions can be helped by drugs which have long since come off patents.
But even with your point, all insurance companies I've ever had cover with in the UK have had some element of support for preventing illness (periodic assessments, support material and trackers) and, at least with people covered under company schemes, they clearly have an incentive to offer more if you are at risk of becoming affected by a preventable illness.
rkangel|7 months ago
When you have one organisation responsible for health as a whole rather than just treatment, you can make better decisions. The usual example I give is that it's cheaper to give out the contraceptive pill than deal with pregnancies, but the same thinking applies to broader disease and health.
Aurornis|7 months ago
As for preventative medical treatment: This one is a difficult topic. There’s a popular misconception that getting a lot of different blood tests and imaging scans is a good idea to identify conditions early, but most people don’t understand that these tests (including imagine) are prone to a lot of false positives. Excessive testing has been shown time and time again to lead to unnecessary interventions, leading to worse outcomes on average. A number of previously routine medical tests are now not recommended until later age or until other symptoms appear because routine testing was producing too many unnecessary interventions, producing a net negative benefit.
It’s a hard concept to wrap our heads around when we’re so attached to the idea that more testing means better information. It’s a huge problem in the alternative medicine community where podcast grifters will encourage people to get various tests like organic acid tests or various “levels” testing, then prescribe complex treatment programs with dozens of supplements. The people chasing these tests then throw themselves far out of balance with excess supplements while sinking thousands of dollars into repeat testing
FabHK|7 months ago
the__alchemist|7 months ago
fxtentacle|7 months ago
Sounds like a misguided incentive ...
DarmokJalad1701|7 months ago
xedrac|7 months ago
nmstoker|7 months ago
But even with your point, all insurance companies I've ever had cover with in the UK have had some element of support for preventing illness (periodic assessments, support material and trackers) and, at least with people covered under company schemes, they clearly have an incentive to offer more if you are at risk of becoming affected by a preventable illness.
mlyons1340|7 months ago