Ed Hinerman On Life Insurance

The Cost Of War?

January 25th, 2008

It’s an election year and in case you haven’t heard what we’ve spent on the war on terror, or in Afghanistan, or in Iraq, just turn on the evening news and I assure you that you will catch a sound bite from someone talking about all that money. Billions. Lots of billions. Hundreds of billions. It’s huge……….

Unless you compare it to the annual cost of diabetes. $174 billion dollars a year in health care costs and lost productivity. The only health care issue that exacts a higher cost is cancer at over $200 billion a year.

I’ve talked until my blog header turned blue about the collateral health issues that spin off of diabetes. This report indicates that it isn’t the day to day care of diabetes that is racking up the huge bills, but rather the problems associated with uncontrolled diabetes such as heart disease and kidney disease. Lack of control, generally caused by a lack of education and/or a lack of compliance with treatment.

The same issues that life insurance underwriters look at so carefully are the things that are causing out of control medical costs for diabetes. Doctors have to become more proficient at diabetes education. Patients have to take the disease seriously. Patients have to become more educated on their own if their doctor falls short. If your doctor says “you have diabetes, take these pills”, find another doctor. Find a certified diabetes educator. There are plenty of diabetes education websites out there, and forums where you can get real life answers to the problems you face.

Bottom line. That $174 billion doesn’t even take into account the financial toll on families who lose members to the ravages of diabetes without sufficient life insurance.

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• Are Doctors Really Educating Patients With Heart Disease or Diabetes?
• Four tips for diabetics shopping for life insurance!
• Another Risk Factor Of Diabetes, Your Doctor!!
• A Post Heart Attack Checklist! Do Doctors Take The Time?

Entry Filed under: diabetes, heart disease, insurance, life insurance