Prevention is key to health care

The American health care system is lacking in many aspects compared to equally-developed countries. Countries such as Switzerland and Singapore have universal health care that is available to all citizens. Health care coverage in these countries is
not determined by age, race, gender or socioeconomic status. Although it is not blatantly like this in the United States, your race and socioeconomic status play a large role in whether you have health care coverage or not.

I believe the problems mentioned above are very serious problems that need to be addressed, but there are more than these problems that need attention. For example, heart disease is the leading cause of death in The United States, even though it can be prevented through proper diet and exercise. Along with heart disease, diabetes is also in the top ten causes of death in the United States, which can also be controlled (and prevented) through proper diet and exercise. Even though we know these conditions are deadly and preventable, not enough people are advocating a change in diet and exercise.

Furthermore, instead of focusing on how to pay for universal health care, we need to be focusing on preventing these conditions before they even happen. Preventative maintenance can go a long way in preventing heart disease, and it is more cost-effective. I understand the idea of free healthcare for everyone is a great idea, but when you look for a solution after a problem has occurred, it is going to take more time and resources in the long run compared to if the problem was prevented in the first place. If we, as Americans, focused more on preventing disease we might be able to lower health care costs enough to make medical access available to everyone. With fewer medical-related expenses comes more affordable health care.

Dalton Murphy

LLCC student