What is causing healthcare costs to rise?

Along with the increasing age of the population, new treatments and technologies, etc., the health care system is paying dearly for what transpired in the past. Smoking was seen as a rite of passage and the population did not know, until more than half were addicted to nicotine, what health complications would result in 30 to 50 years down the road. Society, becoming more and more mobile and fast-paced, welcomed the fast food concept with open arms. Now, society pays for open heart. Obesity has resulted from a myriad of changes in our society including seeing physical education extinguished from a stressed educational system. Chronic disease rates are beginning to reflect those results.

This trend is going to continue burgeoning the absolute dollars spent on a sickness care system unless as a society, choices are made and supported by funders and politicians to refocus the system on health and prevention. Instead of solely focusing on helping the obese lose weight now, let's prevent children from getting that way in the first place. Along with helping smokers quit, an equal emphasis has to be teaching young children not to start. We must equally focus on prevention and promotion starting right now and for a long time to come. This means for a generation, costs will continue to rise instead of fall while we take care of the sick as well as get the next generation healthier. However, in the long run, prevention strategies are far less expensive and will pay off over the next 20 to 70 years by decreasing the need for acute and chronic care. That sounds like forever but without this refocus to prevention we are doomed regardless of the health care system to which we have access.

There are several significant factors adding to the rise in healthcare:

• The U.S. has an aging population. The number of Americans age 65 and older was 35 million in 2000 and by 2020 is expected to be 54 million. We have more health problems as we grow older, and we have more people growing older. 
• Statistics show that individuals are making more visits to doctors and have more hospital admissions. This may be due to the increases in heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other conditions.
• There are new therapies, new medications and new technologies that improve our long term survival but cost money.

These three factors show why health care costs are rising and are causing such concern for the government, employers, insurance companies, and individuals. It also demonstrates why programs such as "Move It and Lose It" are important.