4 Principles Every Wise Healthcare Consumer Knows: Principle #2

February is National Wise Healthcare Consumer Month. No, I refuse to talk about the new Affordable Care Act because I could probably count on one hand the number of people who actually understand what the bill says and what its future implications will be. Instead, I would like to share the FOUR principles that every wise consumer must understand about healthcare.

The second principle is the concept of Early Detection vs. Prevention

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" ~ Benjamin Franklin

Under the misnomer of “healthcare,” the average consumer has been misled. They are told (and made to believe) that they have great “health” insurance because of the many “wellness” checkups covered or the extensive “preventative” care included in their plan. A wise health care consumer understands that getting a “wellness” checkup has nothing to do with preventing a specific disease or condition. 

 

Let’s use breast cancer screenings as an example. If a woman has been seeing her gynecologist to receive a mammogram once a year from the time she is 40 years old (the current guidelines from ACOG) and at age 52 her mammogram shows a stage 2 carcinoma, what has been prevented? As a wise health care consumer, you should be saying nothing has been prevented. However, many “healthcare” insurance plans use these “prevention” screenings as a selling point to consumers. Early detection is not and never will be the same thing as prevention.

(I already hear the arguments mounting, “Isn’t it a good thing that her stage 2 cancer was found at stage 2 and not stage 3 or 4?” My answer to that is, maybe. Right now the standard of care for a diagnosed cancer patient is chemotherapy and radiation in some combination. Although the technology continues to improve, the fundamental theory behind these cancer treatment methods, at least in my humble opinion, is to kill all the cells, healthy and sick, and pray that the healthy cells win out.)

What would true prevention coverage look like?  Insurance plans covering gym memberships, and offering discounts for purchases of organic fruits and vegetables.  Programs offering wellness care for individuals to maintain their health before they lose it.  Making incentives available for healthy lifestyle choices that are known to prevent or limit the risk of certain diseases that our current system spends large chunks of healthcare dollars on.  Offering proactive approach to disease by taking away the environment that sickness thrives in and promoting a healthy alternative; that is prevention.

Information gained from an early detection screening is only useful when that information is applied appropriately. What good is an earlier diagnosis of high blood pressure, if the only answer is taking medication for the rest of your life? Based on personal testimonies from family and patients, I am not convinced that these early detection screenings, sold as “preventative healthcare,” are all they are cracked up to be. Know the difference and know find out how to truly prevent the emergencies as mentioned above.

This is the second of four principles that should act as guidelines for how you assess your healthcare choices.  There is no perfect plan for guaranteed longevity or vitality; but there are wise choices you can make on a daily basis to increase your health into you golden years.  Knowledge is power, and now you know.  The true test is what you do with it.

Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Follow him on facebook and twitter.

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