The Confluency of Healthcare

Perhaps many of us already know what the impact healthcare dollars may affect our general economy. But, the confluency of healthcare is often overlooked or numerous pieces ot it are not put together in the overall puzzle. As we examine healthcare the single puzzle appears as an illusion, but we begin to see the multiple pieces involving all our nation's economy. The nation is currently facing the shifting demographics in a new changing America where the "Baby Boomer" population is becoming the fastest growing sub-population and they are living a lot longer. This will have a major impact on a shrinking labor force that can assure witholdings for those in their later years.It also means that a larger septugenerian or octogenerian will live longer with more chronic illnesses which will also impact greater cost of healthcare and the general cost of living. The U.S. population has gone from 280,000,000 to 321,000,000 in the last decade with a growing migrant population that will become absorbed into a premium based insurance healthcare system. America is about to also absorb 50 million uninsured into its new healthcare system by the Affordable Care Act. What effects does this have on over burdening the already over-taxed medical services. Medical doctors and nursing professionals already have numerous greivances about this load. More paper work, more exams, more diagnostics, more insurance paper work will surely have an impact on the system making more grist for the mill. Clinicians who are over worked by greater patient loads feel that they must run patients through like "cattle" to give them adequate amount of time to make a diagnosis (usually 15-20 minutes). This may be part of the reason that physicians feel more exposed to medical liability. When the system becomes overloaded , medical malpractice insurance goes up. Tort lawyers see a greater "pay out". Usually HMOs are immune from liability, so physicians usually feel that they are the targets of liability. These costs all get passed on to the consumer where we are seeing a meteorotic rise in premiums . The average family of 4 will see an increase by $2300 - $2500 and that is still expected to rise further. Small busineses do not feel that they can handle these rising costs which they must cover for their employees(at least workmen's compensation). Many of them are hiring less or going out of business altogether.In some programs the employee is forced now to pay into a part of their own health plans more. This may be the heart of the economic matter for the new healthcare policy changes effecting Medicare , Medicaid and Social Security . The question is how much cost will new policies consider adequate enough in a shrinking labor force to sustain these entitlements and benefits to be sustained in the future. On the flip side of the healthcare puzzle are those who remain quite healthy with a healthy lifestyle regardless of any healthcare insurance. A number of healthy and active people feel that they cost the system less based on their lifestyle and shouldn't have to be "penalized" for their efforts to keep their weight down. Many of them get regular check-ups,practice healthy eating and exercise regularly. They feel that they shouldn't have to pay as much or perhaps have the option not to have to pay any additional cost or not at all as someone who didn't take care of their health as much and are therefore costing the system several times more. They feel on the other hand that they should be rewarded.

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