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ACTION NOW! An Open Letter to the President And Other Decision Makers Regarding Preventative Health Care

Dear Mr. President and members of Congress,

Most people know the health care system in our country is beyond broke. Even now that the new administration is in place, I’m seeing very little being done to remedy the desperately dire health care conditions in this country. I realize a major system change takes time.

I know things don’t happen overnight. What I’m most frustrated by is the fact that I’ve heard various commentators, political figures, and decision-makers throw the word “prevention” around like it is the latest buzz word of the day and give the subject much lip service…but still nothing substantial is being done. It’s time for these individuals to put their money where their mouths are! And, it’s time for citizens to stop being passive and take action. I say let our voices be heard! Advocacy is important in any critical movement, and this is no exception.

Under the current health care system, citizens have little to no choice about their treatment options. Not much  emphasis, education, nor insurance coverage is allowed for preventative health care. I stress this with great importance: until we gear our health care system toward prevention and move away from what I refer to as reactive care, disease numbers and conditions will continue to increase. This of course means health care costs will also go up.

I want to see alternatives in health offered for coverage by insurance companies – not just drugs and surgery, which I believe have played a major role in causing the ills of people in our nation. Alternatives would include but not be limited to chiropractic, naturopathic, homeopathic, osteopathic, massage, acupuncture, reflexology, hypnotherapy, nutritional therapy, exercise physiological services, and colon hydro therapy.

Almost never do any members of my family see allopathic physicians. When we have health concerns, we see one of the above-mentioned practitioners, and none of these services are covered under our insurance plans except chiropractic – and the coverage is limited. These health care expenses are not affordable, and no one is helping to offset the cost of these goods and services. But I’d still rather spend my money on preventative care that works than wait until something is wrong and then treat it otherwise. It’s a choice I’ve made to ensure better health and provide a better future for my family. This choice I have made because I spent years seeing doctors that neither listened to my problems, nor gave me solutions, nor had any way of dealing with the issues at hand except with drugs and surgery. I’ve gone down that path before, and I say with certainty that I won’t go down it again. Reactive medicine only made my problems worse, whereas preventative and natural care made me well again. Which choice would you make?

We need more advocacy and education on the subject of alternative and preventative health care and nutrition. Too much of our health care system emphasizes use of drugs and surgery for treatment of health care issues after the fact and sometimes when it is too late to save a life. If our system included programs and educational efforts to help teach people about and encourage them to engage in preventative health measures, we would see a noticeable decline in disease and illness. We desperately need a strong movement in advocacy of elimination of processed foods from our primary diets in order to combat disease and promote well-being. Again, very little emphasis is placed on this important component of a health care system that actually works.

Too many people have health care issues they need to take care of – today, yesterday, a month ago, or a year ago – but are crippled by the cost of treatment, and therefore are forced to do nothing.  As unemployment numbers continue to climb, more and more people are losing medical coverage from losing their jobs and being deprived of the income they need in order to cover medical costs and bills in the first place. The unemployment rate has been hovering just under 10 percent – and that’s just what’s been reported by the Labor Department. If this number goes up, 13 million Americans will have lost their employer health insurance since 2007.

Many people could greatly benefit from having the option and ability to participate in alternative and preventative care, to keep their medical conditions from becoming worse. But under the status quo, that is simply impossible. This type of opportunity would not only prevent needless suffering and misery, but would save people thousands and thousands of dollars in future health care problems. We all know the longer we wait to take care of a health issue, the more acute and more expensive it becomes.

We need more than just a dependable plan – we need groups willing to promote and maintain a reliable system that provides a deliverable end result of better health care and ultimately, health for everyone. This system would include educational materials, health care events and consultations with knowledgeable providers, and willingness to use food as medicine as well as herbs and natural treatments for health issues.

If good, reliable coverage was available to the average citizen, health care problems will be addressed before conditions become a serious problem, and in some cases, in plenty of time to eliminate a fatal illness from taking hold and ending someone’s life – such as cancer or diabetes – even heart disease. Coverage for every man, woman, and child should be available, and it should accommodate for the type of treatment specific to the individual’s wants and needs.

As it stands, those insured have no choice but to accept coverage from bloated insurance companies who make money hand-over-fist while at the same time deny pre-existing conditions, refuse necessary treatments, and  increase premiums, co-pays , deductibles and various out-of-pockets costs on an annual basis. These same systems also favor reactive treatments over preventative ones.  How can any of us survive in such a system? We need to stop accepting expensive, reactive care from health care providers who fail to understand the holistic component that is so integral to the improvement of our health as a nation. We must demand that the methods and ways which have been in place for so many years and have brought ill results be altered and geared toward prevention, nutrition, and proactive measures.

Finally, we must demand that emphasis be placed on implementing a truly sustainable health and food system. To start, we would need a program which would allow for all the accountable players in the equation from the agricultural sector to be acknowledged, from removal of components that are causing added health issues and health safety (i.e., factory farms, genetically modified organisms, irradiation, pesticides and other toxins), to follow-through and definitive action from the newly formed Food Safety Working Group.

This, I ask as a hard-working American citizen, taxpayer, mother, and wife for myself, my family, and for all residents of our great nation.

Sincerely,

-Raine J.E. Saunders

Boise, Idaho

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To make your concerns known to the current decision-makers, visit Prescription for Change.

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