Why Today’s Americans Are Avoiding Medical Care
According to one survey, 64% of Americans are choosing to avoid or delay medical care treatment. The biggest reason why so many people are postponing medical attention is because they cannot afford it. Healthcare costs have been steadily rising over the past several years and are projected to continue on the same path. In 2017, the overall healthcare spend was $3.5 trillion, and within the next decade, that spend is expected to nearly double at $6 trillion.
There are several contributing factors, including higher average disposable income, more expensive medical equipment, and rising Medicaid costs. A single medical procedure can set an individual back for several years, causing them to postpone major life events like retirement.
Even some Americans with healthcare struggle to afford their deductibles and will avoid treatment if it costs more than $500 out of pocket. Others will choose to neglect follow up visits or physical therapy and rehabilitation to curb medical costs.
And the unfortunate fact is, people who miss follow-up appointments after surgeries and other procedures may end up with chronic pain and future complications. After all, post-operative care is pivotal to the healing process—but Americans may see this as another bill in the mail.
Prescription pills are another important contributing factor to rising healthcare costs. The prescription drug sector will have the largest growth rate, rising 6.3% year over year for the next decade. Americans who struggle with chronic pain will face increasingly complex conundrums as costs rise and awareness surrounding opioid usage grows.
Revolutionary Companies Address Chronic Pain
For those who cannot afford to continue a prescription, or for those who couldn’t afford healthcare in the first place, turning to other resources appears to be their only option. Natural health solutions are often much more plausible than one might think. Today, revolutionary companies like WaveLife are giving more people the opportunity to make smarter decisions about their healthcare and relieve their pain in the safety of their own homes.
“Pain management is one of the compounded sectors of the healthcare industry,” says Jan Wellmann, CEO of WaveLife. “This is especially true for chronic pain, which one-fifth of the American population suffer from. We developed the Energy Cell as a safe and effective solution for managing pain. And we achieved this by harnessing the natural healing capabilities of the body.” You can purchase the Energy Cell here.
The two primary technology influences are vital fields and EMF. The device triggers existing electromagnetic vital fields in the body to stimulate restoration and homeostasis. This technology is stored in a wearable EMF patch that can be safely applied to the area of infliction. Today, more companies are exploring the health benefits of biofield therapy, and these revolutionary products are poised to help people around the world safely alleviate pain.
Americans Avoiding Ambulances
Another interesting thing to note is that several people have begun opting to be transferred to hospitals via ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft, as opposed to ambulances. Ambulances have complicated billing and collection processes, and a typical ambulance ride might set you back $1,500—even if you don’t need any of the life-saving equipment that ambulances are equipped with.
In 2011, ambulance services cost around $14 billion, with Medicare paying for $5.3 billion of that. Estimates suggest that only around 30% of those instances were emergency situations, while others could have used alternate modes of transportation. But of course, it’s difficult to tell what constitutes an emergency situation at the moment. However, since the emergence of ride sharing services, reliance on ambulances have dwindled.
This is a risky move for anyone. Ideally, people in need of medical attention will opt for an ambulance over an ordered ride. Ubers and Lyfts cannot circumvent traffic, nor are their drivers trained to deal with medically intensive situations. But for many, this money-saving technique can save them thousands of dollars, and it’s a chance they’re willing to take.
Fear Amidst COVID-19
With the recent outbreak of COVID-19, even more people are refraining from hospital visits—including high-risk individuals who need immediate care, such as those suffering from heart complications. And these hospitals are poised to bank the most money during a time when others are suffering from economic turmoil.
Dr. Bryan Hathorn, Director of the Chest Pain Unit at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Louisiana, confirmed that he’d see a record low number of people visiting the emergency room due to heart issues.
“I do know that our heart attack and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction are lower than they’ve been in 5 years,” he said in an interview. “They’re at least 50% down from last year, and they’re 30-to-50 percent down over the last 5 years. They’re very worried that the hospitals are just over-run with the COVID-19 virus and they just don’t want to be exposed. They have pain in their chest, pain in their back, it goes down their arm, whatever, they sit around and wait.”
In other states, like New York, the same phenomenon is happening. Many people are fearful of their health, concerned about potential spread in hospitals where COVID-19 patients are seeking treatment for serious cases. Doctors advise these people to always seek treatment from the hospital for potentially serious symptoms, like those pertaining to a heart attack. “They may or may not survive their heart attack at home,” says Dr. Hathorn, and it’s important to get proper treatment.
