When a baby is born, their parents will often say that the only thing about which they were worried was that their child is healthy. It is so important because it plays such a big part in a person’s quality of life.
Money is important in healthcare, but the wealthiest people are still left at the mercy of their health because until medical knowledge, practice and technology improve to the point that every disease and condition is curable, there is still little that can be done. It is also a political issue.
A survey conducted earlier this year found that healthcare is now the greatest concern for Americans at the polls. 45% cited it as the issue in which they had the most interest. It has overtaken the economy, which was mentioned by 39% of respondents. Immigration was a distant third with just 25% of people naming it. This is hardly a surprise though.
President Obama managed to institute a lot of great changes in his eight-year tenure, but one of the most important, impressive and fiercely controversial was his Affordable Care Act (ACA), or ObamaCare.
In the most recent election, healthcare became a major issue because the then Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump vowed to repeal it. His hastily written and ill-conceived plan resulted in the American Health Care Act (AHCA). It will cover 24 million fewer Americans by 2026 at a greater cost. It has passed the House of Representatives but will have a much harder time in the Senate. The more unsettling aspect of the changes that are taking place in American healthcare is that Trump seems so ignorant about the details. He recently praised Australia’s healthcare system as being better than America’s, despite it being the exact system that he has argued against so passionately.
In any case, staying healthy in both mind and body is something that requires a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of the person involved. Not only is leading a healthy lifestyle cheaper overall since medical insurance premiums will not go up as a result of claims, you will lead a happier life with less stress. It is quite simple too. Everyone knows that a balanced diet is the best thing. This is not to say that you cannot occasionally have a cheat day and indulge in something calorific, but if you do it too regularly, you can start to suffer from all sorts of unpleasant conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. You can also be at risk of developing some forms of cancer.
In 2012, 108 million Americans were on a diet and were collectively funding a $20 billion weight loss industry. Making healthy choices can help you avoid all sorts of physical and financial costs. Exercise is also an obviously crucial component to a happy, healthy lifestyle. Taking up a sport can help you sleep better and reduce stress. It can also help prevent you from suffering from a lot of the same diseases listed above.
If you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction, you may want to think about treatment. There are lots of places that can help, such as the Beachway Therapy Center. The particularly disheartening thing about lots of addictions is that the people often start using because they had trauma in their childhood. Criminalizing them has been demonstrated to not be the most effective approach to the problem. However, it is also just callous. Those people need help and acceptance rather than stigmatization and rejection.
Lastly, your psychological health is important too. A recent study found that 80% of American workers report that they feel stress on the job, and nearly half of those same people need help finding ways to deal with their stress. This is obviously different for each person, but a finding an effective way could be as simple as setting aside half an hour each day to read, which has been found to reduce stress by as much as two-thirds in just six minutes, or going for a walk, which is effective too. However, if watching TV or sleeping are better for you, it is important that you make time for them.