Health-care generosity and connection have overwhelming benefits to you and to society
In tough times, lots of folks think that when it comes to health care, tightening the purse strings, letting folks fend for themselves and advocating tough love (or not so much tough love as just tough noogies) is the smart way to proceed. It’s, well, responsible, is what gets said.
We say, yes, front-end, cost-cutting measures are responsible … for increased health risks, higher health costs and expenditures, and a reduced economic base. Not really what most people want or think they’re advocating!
Turns out there’s no time like the present to expand the love in your heart and in your budget. There are enormous benefits gained physically, emotionally and economically when you reach out to help others and support programs that do that too. Over and over, studies have shown that a generous, social and compassion- ate approach to your neighbors’problems returns a bounty of benefits to YOU and society.
On a Social Level…
Health-care costs in this country are out of control; we all know that. In fact, according to the Commonwealth Fund, we spend more per capita than other high-income countries, with worse results (lower life expectancy, worse health). We have ever-more folks developing chronic diseases, and we spend 84 percent of all health-care dollars on such conditions, many of which are preventable. But does that mean we should spend less on programs that measurably improve people’s health? Not by a long shot.