PATRICK MEYER

Professor of Law & Library Director, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law

The extremely high cost of healthcare in the United States continues to be an exceptional burden on a significant number of citizens. Coupled with decades of increases in major health conditions and diseases, solving these massive issues appear to be insurmountable, with solutions being perpetually out of reach.

However, our nation’s healthcare costs are kept from rising even higher by participation in preventative healthcare measures, such as adhering to yearly primary care office visits, receiving a yearly physical and flu vaccination, and receiving regular colonoscopies and breast exams.1 Preventative healthcare measures are designed to prevent healthcare issues from materializing or to detect early onset of a disease for targeted treatment. Taking preventative healthcare measures is immensely effective. Being cognizant of the nutritional makeup of the food one eats and the beverages one drinks is another means of preventing healthcare issues before they take hold. Unlike the traditional means of preventative care which require a commitment of time while trying to fit a visit into yours an overburdened primary care physician’s schedule, this type of preventative care is undertaken directly by the consumer at the time of purchase.

Once in a generation, a healthcare law is passed that has the ability to significantly improve the health of Americans while potentially driving down the cost of healthcare. When such a law is passed, our leaders need to seize the opportunity to strengthen it to better assure its effectiveness

Read more here: https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/ilr/pdf/vol56p59.pdf