Good Health is the Best Insurance

According to the 2017 Kaiser Family Foundation's annual Employer Health Benefits Survey, over the last 5 years, the number of employers offering health insurance as an employee benefit has declined from 61% to 53%. Why? Because of relentlessly rising costs. The average cost of the employer's share (not counting what the employee may contribute) of a family health insurance plan was $18,764. That's per employee.

Suppose that was your business? Could you as the owner afford to carry that sort of expense? And each year it goes up, with no sign of moderating increases. With more and more Americans chronically ill, there seems no end in sight.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of all US healthcare spending goes to treating preventable chronic diseases, most of which are diet and lifestyle related. This should hardly come as a surprise.

In the US, 34% of us are obese. Not overweight, obese. Despite its many proven benefits, 79% of Americans do not meet the recommended level of physical exercise and 86% do not meet recommended dietary guidelines.

So when your employer announces increased employee contributions, benefit cutbacks or even the elimination of health insurance, reflect for a moment that the very best health insurance is living a wellness lifestyle. And that is really your responsibility. You haven't the time to live healthy? Then how will you afford to live sickly?