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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. The United States is the only developed country in the world where life expectancy has declined in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does one square these two seemingly contradictory facts?\nCould it be that more healthcare can actually contribute to lower life\nexpectancy? <\/p>\n\n\n\n US healthcare expenditures have long led the world. Back in\nthe 1970\u2019s the US was in the middle of the pack compared to other countries,\nbut since 1980 we are number one. We\u2019re now at the point we spend almost twice\nwhat other counties spend. So, this has been a thirty-year trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the decline in life expectancy is recent. When we compare total life expectancy to other developed countries, we have always lagged a bit. The Japanese have outlived us for decades. But the last two years of declining US life expectancy are remarkable. When the details are teased out, the US decline can be attributed to a dramatic rise in early deaths, specifically in middle-age (45-54) non-hispanic white males. This started in the late 1990\u2019s and continues. The increase in deaths is attributed to accidental overdose, suicide and alcohol related diseases; the diseases of despair. And when the population is further refined, this increase is even more dramatic in non-college graduates. Advanced education saves lives. Maybe it relieves despair. Higher education does promote long-term employment and thus makes employer-based healthcare more reliable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Opioid prescribing started to go up sharply in the 1990\u2019s.\nDoctor-written prescriptions for narcotics more than doubled from 1999-2011.\nThankfully, it has gone down significantly in recent years with all the talk of\nthe \u201cOpioid Epidemic\u201d. But I believe we can lay a lot of the blame for the recent\nincreased mortality in this country in the lap of the medical profession. Big\nPharma will get their share of the blame, but they just make the drugs; doctors\nprescribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s not just the narcotic prescribing we doctors do\nthat can harm people. We can test you into anxiety, even bankruptcy. Or we can\noperate on you with the promise of a life free of pain. After all, US\nhealthcare is the best in the world, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people are cured, some pain is relieved, but has American\nhealthcare reached the point of too much of a good thing? If we have too much,\nwhy do we over-consume?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overtreatment (defined as care provided that causes harm) is studied. It\u2019s higher than you think<\/a>. Why would the market-driven business of healthcare sell more product than serves the health of the customer? Maybe I\u2019m naive to think healthcare is different than fast food. Further, why would consumers (patients) buy unnecessary or harmful care? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some may be due to perceived scarcity. We all fear the day\nwe have a tragic accident or dismal diagnosis and inadequate insurance\ncoverage. So, grab what you can when you have the chance; not a healthy\nstrategy. Such a mindset is unavoidable when health insurance is unreliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Idaho\u2019s fifth annual Healthcare Summit concluded this week. Six\nyears ago, Roger Plothow, former publisher of the Idaho Falls Post Register\ndecided such a get together would be a good idea. Get the leaders of one of\nIdaho\u2019s largest and fastest growing economic sectors together and see if they\ncan align their incentives. The conference is sponsored and attended by all the\nmajor insurers, healthcare systems, professional groups and even some\nlegislators. Heck, Governor Little spoke over lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is hope, but a lot of work to do. Idaho has disparate\ncommunities, from frontier towns with a county ten-bed hospital to huge systems\nin the Treasure Valley and Eastern Idaho. But a small state with strong\nleadership can turn things. We just need to agree on where we need to go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Consider these two facts: The United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other nation. 2. The United States is the only developed country in the world where life expectancy has declined in recent years. How does one … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danschmidtforsenate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/LifeExpectancy-1024x614.png\")
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