America’s Health Care System

By Dr. Eugene ONeill

Practical definition of insanity: to keep doing what has been done, yet expect different results.

We’re #37!
Yes, that’s where America’s health care system ranks according to the World Health Organization, (WHO) Number 37! Maybe we need to spend more? Well, in that category we are #1. Per citizen, the USA spends 2x more than the next country. By far, we spend the most on “health” care and in return we get the 37th ranked system. Want a second opinion? The Journal of the American Health Association, (July 2000) published an article ranking the USA system 12th in a survey field of 13 countries!

Why is this? Isn’t America the Great Innovator? Aren’t we technology leaders? America, unquestionably leads the world in resources, education, research and technology. So why then are we in the bottom 80th percentile in health care? And why isn’t there a national uproar about this shameful rank?

One of the criteria the WHO used in assessing the world’s health care systems was, “does the system effectively prevent illness or just wait to treat it”? Now, America is the best place to be if you suffer a catastrophic injury, overwhelming disease or a genetic condition. Does this meet the practical, daily needs of America? No. Americans want less colds and sickness, fewer allergies, pain free backs, no headaches, etc. We want to feel better than we do. Just these maladies represent billions in treatment cost and lost productivity. Yet, does medicine address the cause of any of these conditions? Without reservation, most conditions do not arise from a Tylenol deficiency.

The American “health” care system is anything but. It is best described as a “disease care” system. When was the last time you went to your MD and said “keep me healthy”. The American medical system is designed in reaction to disease: Identify it and treat it. (As many of you know, “treat it” may not mean “cure it”). This reactive approach was decided in our country long ago and emphasized to the exclusion of every other health care consideration. Therefore, Americans were implicitly instructed to “wait until you get something, then we’ll treat it”. We implied this to mistakenly mean “if I feel good, then I must be healthy”.

What happened?
Well, Medicine became a business. A huge business. The AMA became one of the most powerful trade organizations and the medico-pharmaceutical industry now generates over one trillion dollars per year. (and still climbing at 12% per year). One in every six dollars spent in our country goes into this industry. Are you going to tell them they’re wrong? We’ve known for decades cigarettes are intentionally addictive and cancer causing, yet there is no credible push to remove tobacco from the economy. Therefore, can a system that generates one trillion dollars annually profiting from sickness and disease be trusted to keep people from being sick and diseased? Do you see the conflict of interest in asking the industry that greatly profits when you are sick, to keep you healthy? Would they not seek to discredit and destroy anything that might hinder the “cash cow of disease”?

Voltaire said, “it is dangerous to be right in matters in which the established authorities are wrong”.

Recently, a prominent proponent of cheap, safe, renewable alternative energy said, “you can’t expect Texaco, Exxon, GPU, PSE&G, et al, to research, fund and encourage the technologies they may eventually destroy their empires.” Would you expect any immensely profitable industry to voluntarily cut it’s own throat? How can we possibly expect the current system to change because we want health and not just disease management?

Disease is huge business; Health care is not. It never will be as big as disease care. Isn’t everything, from your car, lawn, shape, checkbook, and relationships cheaper and easier to maintain then to repair? So where do we look for health?

Dr. Clarence Gonstead said, “Medicine is the study of disease and what causes a man to die. Chiropractic is the study of life and what causes a man to live.”

“If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve got.”

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Dr. Eugene ONeill maintains chiropractic offices in Branchburg and Bayonne, NJ. He can be reached any M-W-F at 908 685-8882 or via email at: [email protected]