The health status of this country is inferior. The U.S. leads the world in rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. One out of every five children is overweight, and one out of every three is obese. Ninety percent of people over the age of 65 take a prescription medication and eighteen percent of children under 12 are on a drug. These statistics are worrisome because healthy people do not take drugs and trends show that these numbers will only worsen. The culprit behind our state of health falls on our approach to health that is controlled by industry and government. Health’s top enemy is the insurance industry.
Before diving into the atrocities of insurance, we must first examine how we have appeared in our current state. Healthcare has been practiced since the dawn of human civilization. Early Sanskrit texts identified Chakra as the first documented physician dating back to 500 B.C. The way healing arts were taught by people such as Chakra and Hippocrates was through an apprenticeship method. The first medical school appeared in 1765 in Philadelphia. Lecture-based medical programs began appearing at the Ivy League colleges.
Throughout the 18th century, doctors practiced medicine without a license or accreditation. This created a competitive market where the people who did not receive a formal education experienced success from word-of-mouth advertising. Doctors with a formal education more commonly charged higher prices but did not see the same patient volume. In 1847 the American Medical Association (AMA) was founded and minimum standards were created to practice medicine legally. This created a shortage of doctors and more expensive treatments.
Then in 1910, the Flexner Report was published, with funds provided by the Rockefeller Foundation, and set uniform standards for medical universities. This report mainly attacked alternative health practices that focus on the body’s innate ability to heal, such as chiropractic and osteopathy. The AMA used the Flexner Report to sue chiropractors for practicing medicines without a license, and many chiropractic schools faltered and had to close.
After the Flexner Report, the doctor shortage issue grew and now people lost the ability to choose alternative medicine providers. The price of healthcare increased astronomically. At the height of the healthcare cost crisis, the Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Corporation issued recommendations for consolidating healthcare through hospitals and group practices. They also recommended dispersed payment through insurance, taxation, or both.
From that point on, the insurance industry grew, and the government has stepped in to require insurance for all or pay the penalty. This has led to a health approach where people only see providers selected by the insurance company, and only treatments offered by insurance are allowed. Furthermore, people are not educated on their body’s power to self-heal and self-regulate. Society is not taught how to prevent a health crisis and live a truly healthy life.
Instead, most people live their lives with no regard to health and await health detriments to arise. Once a symptom appears, they hand their insurance card to their medical doctor for treatment of symptoms. Health insurance is not meant to be the healthcare model. Insurance is designed to protect individuals in times of crisis. You would not perform zero maintenance on your vehicle and expect your car insurance to pay for repairs when the car breaks down. You would not neglect your finances and expect life insurance to pay your debts. You would not expect your homeowner’s insurance to pay the landscapers to mow your grass.
To enter a new world, we must begin reflecting on the old paradigms and structures we have created. We cannot continue to depend on the insurance companies to supply health. Health is an inside job and the body’s natural state. Since 1932 healthcare has become increasingly socialized, and our health status has suffered. I can guarantee that free healthcare will not create a healthier society. You are the only one who can manifest optimized health for yourself by living the Max Living 5 Essentials. Start investing in your health today because it is your most valuable asset.