According to a report released by Health and Human Services, U.S. healthcare spending topped the $1 trillion mark for the first time. Expenditures reached $1.04 trillion in 1996, up from 991.4 billion in 1995.

According to the report, the portion of the healthcare paid by the government was almost half, a whopping 47%! When they say the “government” paid it, they really mean we paid it.

Even the majority of healthcare costs not paid by the government are still paid by the average person. Most insurance costs, for example, are paid by the employer. The money is most often taken out of payroll (employee pay). For those who receive healthcare coverage through the government or insurance it can appear that their healthcare is free. They visit the doctor and are only aware of the small portion they pay out of their own pocket, forgetting they are also paying the larger portion which is hidden, or invisible to them.

The problem with such coverage is, since it appears to be free, people tend to go to the doctor more than needed, or at least more than if they were paying directly out of their own pocket. This ends up costing us all. An even greater problem is that since the coverage is “free” people tend to ignore preventative care. They refuse to spend even a little more for a higher quality diet or for preventive healthcare, such as lifetime chiropractic wellness care, which could keep them out of an M.D.’s office or even the hospital.

The best way to reduce our healthcare costs is by preventing illness and disease.

SOURCE: Health & Human Services Report, Jan. 13, 1998. As reported in Health Watch.