Making an Investment in Your Health

You may have heard this on the news recently, but apparently we’re in something of an economic slowdown. Depending on which talking head pundit you’re listening to, we may already be in a recession.

So as this confluence of bad economic news continues to grow (job losses, high energy costs, housing foreclosures and so on), people are looking for ways to save money. From the government bureaucracies to the mom and pop stores all the way down to you and me, people are going through their budgets to find out where they can cut spending.

Health care is a particularly hot topic in this election year, with an estimated 47 million or so Americans going without insurance. Medicare and Medicaid costs are through the roof, critically impacting federal and state budgets.

All of which made this report from an organization called Trust for America’s Health interesting. The not-for-profit organization’s report suggests that “a small strategic investment in disease prevention could result in significant savings in U.S. health care costs.”

What does that mean? Essentially, the organization believes that spending just $10 on each person in a community-based program that is proven to do things like increase physical activity, improve nutritional habits or stop tobacco use would provide a savings nationally in excess of $16 billion annually within a half-decade.

That, they say, would be a return on investment of $5.60 for every dollar spent.

By educating the public through preventative programs, researchers have seen drops in the rates of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, as well as some forms of cancer and other ailments. Results usually can be seen within two to five years of implementation.

If this plan was put into action tomorrow, Florida would see a tremendous benefit overall – the report indicates this state alone could save $1 billion in potential annual savings. Only California ($1.7 billion) and New York ($1.3 billion) would see more.

The likelihood of getting each person in the country to participate is about as unlikely as a unanimous winner in a presidential election. But it is an interesting premise – and one that doesn’t need a government mandate.

There are plenty of resources offering information on nutrition, fitness activities or quitting smoking (including the Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing). Think of it as an investment in health care that could save you money down the road.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator