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Preventive Treatment Reduces Health Care Cost

Preventive treatment is any medical service that protects against medical emergencies. It requires visits to the doctor, such as regular physical exams, well-woman appointments, and dental cleaning. Some drugs are preventive, such as immunizations, abortion, and allergy drugs. Screenings such as skin cancer, high cholesterol, and colonoscopy examinations are successful preventive steps. 

The goal of preventive health care is to help people stay safe. The aim is to nip diseases in the bud before they become disastrous. That keeps the cost of health care low.

Preventive treatment also keeps people healthy, allowing them to keep earning well in their senior years. Health care issues forced 35 percent of older people to retire early before they were financially ready.

Why Preventive Treatment Reduces Health Care Cost

Preventive treatment helps lower health care costs in America by preventing illnesses from needing emergency room care. Why is that a problem? Hospital treatment is very costly, accounting for one-third of all health care costs in America. In 2010, 21.4% of adults had one or more emergency room visits. By 2017, this had declined to 18.6 percent.

One explanation is that many people use the emergency room as their primary care physician. In 2014, 7.0% of adults aged 18-64 went because they had no other way to go to health care, regardless of their health insurance status. Seventy-seven percent went to the ER due to the severity of the issue, including those sent by their doctor. And 15.4% of uninsured people are more likely to use the emergency room due to lack of access to other providers.

The cost of emergency room treatment for the uninsured can be exceptionally high. If the uninsured cannot afford to pay, the burden will be added to the health insurance premiums and to Medicaid.

Unfortunately, the four leading causes of death are caused by entirely preventable chronic diseases.

These disorders include heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke. Heart disease and stroke include mainly caused by inadequate diet and obesity. Lung cancer, the most common form, and CLRD are mostly caused by smoking. Obesity is also a risk factor for other common types of cancer.

Well, when they enter the emergency room level, these chronic conditions are costly to treat. In the United States, 90 percent of the $3.5 trillion of total health care spending is for individuals with physical and mental health problems.

A lot of people get tired of taking too many drugs or can’t afford it. If they cut back, they end up in the emergency department with heart attacks, strokes, and other complications.

ACA Relies on Preventive Treatment for Reduced Costs

How having a preventive health care plans save you money

The Affordable Care Act allows insurance providers, Medicare and Medicaid, to offer preventive care services free of charge. Both methods were approved by the United States. The Preventive Services Task Force has no copay. Obamacare mandates that they be included as part of the ten critical benefits.

The plan seems to be working. In 2018, the Health Affairs report showed that the rise in Medicaid had seen a 40% increase in the number of prescriptions for diabetes drugs. States that did not extend the Medicaid extension saw no increase.

Preventive care provisions of the ACA include prenatal coverage, mental health care, and improved prescription drug options.

Motherhood and Child Care

This includes visits to mothers, screening for domestic abuse, and funding for breast-feeding equipment and contraception. This is considered cost-saving preventive treatment because it is easier to provide a mother with healthy nutrition and alcohol/drug advice than to treat premature births and fetal alcohol syndrome. There are also comprehensive guidelines on preventive treatment.

Mental and Behavioral Wellness

Many homeless people in America are experiencing chronic mental and behavioral health issues. In a June 2015 survey, 564,708 people were homeless every night in the U.S. Of these, 250,000 or 45 percent have a mental illness. Untreated, they cost society more than emergency departments, police enforcement, and prisons.

The homeless person in the hospital is four days longer than an average per visit, costing taxpayers an additional $2,414 per stay. A chronic homeless individual costs taxpayers an average of $35,578 a year.

Disabilities and Chronic Illness

Most plans provide facilities and supplies to help you recover from acute injuries, such as broken legs. ACA provides compensation for products and services to help you maintain a quality of life if you have a chronic illness, such as multiple sclerosis.

Resources and References:

• NCBI
• webMD