Drivers of Health Care Cost: Unhealthy Behaviors

Introduction

The high and rising health care cost in America is a major source of concern for many people and the government. There are many reasons for the unsustainable cost of health care among which are drug costs, expensive technology, fragmented and uncoordinated care, lack of cost consideration from patients, fee for service, high administrative expenses, unhealthy behaviors, expensive end-of-life care, and provider consolidation (Moses et al., 2013). There is no single solution, and there needs to be concerted effort to address the high health care cost in the United States. Some of the drivers of health care cost, such as unhealthy behaviors, are easily preventable.

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The Affordable Care Act provides health insurance coverage for many people, but it does little to improve personal health. Conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and obesity that occur as a result of unhealthy behavior cost the state millions of dollars in worker compensation and lost productivity (Niles, 2016). Individual behaviors such as alcohol abuse, smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise attribute to close to 70% of total health care costs (Goldsteen, 2016). Even though efforts to curb obesity have stabilized the rising trends, there are already close to 80 million obese Americans. Approximately 8.7 percent of the health care cost are as a result of smoking (Goldsteen, 2016). Wellness behavior can reduce the problem instead of seeking medical solutions. This paper is going to look at the how unhealthy behaviors drive up health care cost in America and provide possible solutions.

Significance of Unhealthy Behavior to the US Health Care System

Cigarette smoking costs the U.S health care system $65 billion annually, obesity costs over $27 billion while alcohol abuse costs the country 85,8 billion annually (Goldsteen, 2016). There are many more unhealthy behaviors that cost the country billions of dollars in treatment. It is a fact that a healthy person demands more health services compared to one in sound health. Close to 90% of the total medical cost in the United States is used on patients with chronic illnesses (Goldsteen, 2016). A majority of the chronic illnesses are preventable but continue to be prevalent due to lifestyle choices. Diabetes, lower back pain and ischemic heart disease are some of the costly conditions to the health care system. Diabetes cost the United States $101 billion, lower back pain cost totaled $87.6 billion while ischemic heart disease cost is $88.1 billion annually (Niles, 2018).

A health condition such as diabetes is caused by modifiable risk factors such as low physical activity, poor diet, obesity and tobacco use. One needs to understand the significance of unhealthy behaviors to personal health to know how it is related to the high health care costs. The effects of smoking and overall impact on individual health are well documented. It is the major cause of preventable illnesses in the United States. There are many other relatable illnesses as a result of smoking that affects close to 10.9 million of the population (Niles, 2018). The population would require medical care in the foreseeable future to treat smoking related illnesses hence drive up health care costs. Excessive drinking is also a leading cause of poor health in America. Excessive drinking also caused an average of 12,460 motor vehicle accidents within the same time span (Goldsteen, 2016). Excessive use of alcohol can lead to many health problems among which are liver disease, fetal damage, cardiovascular diseases, and high blood pressure. These conditions would need to be treated and are significant to the unsustainable health care cost in America.

Obesity is another type of unhealthy behavior that is costly to the health care system. It leads to type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, hypertension, osteoarthritis, kidney disease, liver disease, respiratory conditions, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (Goldsteen, 2018). Close to one third of the American population are obese and in danger of contracting the many opportunistic diseases as a result. It is estimated that there are nearly 200,000 deaths caused by obesity related illnesses (Niles, 2018). Medical attention to these people in their last years of life are costly. There are many children and teens that have obesity or are overweight and in danger of being ill as they develop to adulthood. Obesity is a serious illness leading to ailments that are as dangerous as those of excessive drinking and smoking. Moses et al. (2013) state that obesity is more prevalent in the United States more than smoking and drinking. It is significant to the health care system because the large populations affected by obesity would require medical treatment that make huge demands on the U.S health care system.

Physical inactivity and lack of sleep are also unhealthy behaviors that lead to poor health. It drives up health care cost in America due to medical fees that would be required to treat its related ailments. One is prone to premature death, depression, certain cancers, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases with lack of physical inactivity (Goldsteen 2016). Insufficient sleep is an epidemic affecting an estimated 70 million adults in America. Adequate sleep determines wellbeing and overall health since it helps with the functioning of the immune system. Some occupational errors and motor vehicle accidents have been attributed to insufficient sleep. The numbers are 40,000 non-fatal injuries, and 1,500 fatal injuries (Niles, 2018). Poor immune system and motor vehicle accidents translate to medical attention for the affected people. The large number of people affected escalate the cost of health care in the United States of America.

Analysis and Solutions to Unhealthy Behavior to the US Health Care System

Unhealthy behavior is costly to the American health care system as seen in the large number of the population that is affected and the subsequent medical attention that they would require. Unhealthy behavior can be managed with the help of wellness programs and individual discipline. The first solution to the high health care cost is that employers can provide wellness incentives. Some organizations have requirements regarding smoking to manage the related illnesses (Niles, 2018). Many employers and organizations can help to prevent unhealthy behaviors. It helps to cut company cost on medical expenses, and most importantly promotes a healthy America.

The second solution for the high cost of health care in the United States is individual responsibility. Self-discipline can be encouraged with awareness programs on unhealthy lifestyles. Awareness can be included into the school curriculums where people can learn how to care for their health (Niles, 2018). It is important to take personal responsibility for one's own health, but one can make only health choices from the available options. In this regard, schools should include playtime in their curriculum, offices should have health seminars, and residential areas should have parks and gymnasiums nearby (Goldsteen, 2016). An involved approach towards public health can alleviate stress levels and encourage sufficient sleep.

Conclusion

High health care cost in the United States require multiple solutions because it is affected by a myriad of reasons. Unhealthy behaviors are a driver of the high cost of health care because of the fact that it makes people vulnerable to diseases that in turn require medical attention. Americans need to attain good health to reduce medical expenses. Opportunities to invest in health should be a concerted effort from both the private and public sector. Solutions such as employer incentives and personal responsibility can help to abate the burden on the resources required to treat the large number of people that engage in unhealthy behavior. Good leadership and resources can go a long way in creating policies and improving the socioeconomic status that can help people pursue healthy lifestyles. Health care cost is unevenly distributed in the United States. Interventions to curb unhealthy behaviors should target affected populations and provide people with resources that can help them take action to improve their health.

References

Goldsteen, R. L. D. P. H. (2016). Jonas' Introduction to the U.S. Springer Publishing Company.

Moses, H., et al. (2013). The anatomy of health care in the United States. JAMA, 310(18), 1947-1964. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.281425.

Niles, N. J. (2018). Navigating the U.S. health care system. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning

Niles, N. J. (2016). Managed care impact on healthcare delivery. Basics of the U.S. health care system (3rd ed., Chapter 9). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.