Oh, the quandary we are in. Insurance is a God-send for a crisis and there is no other country I would rather be in if I were to experience a trauma, heart attack, stroke, or any other crisis. However, how are we for chronic diseases? Well…we ranked 34th in the world per JAMA 2014 for quality of health care systems in the world! And we are #1 for infant and maternal mortality.
We must realize that insurance is a system set up for crisis, not wellness. With the ever-shortening doctor visit, we have to consider what can be done during that limited time. Doctors have a check list of quality care measures to complete to qualify for proper reimbursements or bonuses. “Quality Measures” sound great until you realize that your lack of sleep, digestive issues, nutrition, exercise, financial constraints, and much more all impact your health but the doctor doesn’t have time to address those. This type of system leads to giving more pills to manage the numbers because there is no time to address the underlying issues.
Insurance covers physical exams but how much wellness is truly covered? Is proper nutrition and exercise truly covered? Many nutritionists are still teaching on the 1980’s food pyramid that has contributed to the obesity, heart disease, and diabetes crisis. Nutraceuticals (natural supplements) often are not covered by insurance. And the proper time with your doctor is definitely not supported by insurance.
The current pitfalls of the system have awakened us to realize that wellness needs to be disconnected from the insurance “healthcare” model. The average person is now realizing something is amiss and recognizes the importance of investing in their own health and not waiting until they are in the crisis to bank on insurance.
Functional Medicine is an answer to this crisis since it addresses the person as a whole. You must have all the pieces of the puzzle to get health back on track because you can’t fix one piece and expect the rest to improve. That’s why I offer unique programs designed for individual needs that address hormones, inflammation, gut health, environmental health, sleep issues, mood disorders, spirituality and more. This is what I love to do! By doing so, we are getting people to a greater state of wellness and less dependent on the system.
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