Financial Implications
KEEP MORE OF YOUR MONEY IN YOUR OWN POCKET AND ENRICH YOUR RETIREMENT
The average American spends more than $6,000 each year on health care -- the highest amount in the world and twice as much as Europeans spend. And poor dietary habits are driving much of our higher-than-average health care costs. This is according to a 2007 study by researchers at Emory University's School of Public Health.
According to the study, Americans are more than 50% more likely than Europeans to have high blood pressure or diabetes; almost 2 times as likely to have heart disease; and 2 and a half times more likely to have arthritis. And more disease equals more cost.
If we in the US had the same levels of chronic illness as Europeans, we'd each save between $1,200 and $1,750 per year each on medical bills, according to the study.
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Even insured Americans, who now shoulder over 22% of annual medical costs under typical health plans, could save between $265 and $385 each year per person if they adopted healthier lifestyles to cut costs.
And, if you're already one of the 66% of Americans who fit into the overweight or obese category, your savings could be even more dramatic.
Does saving $895 sound appealing? That's the amount of documented savings those who suffered from obesity experienced just one year after losing just 5% of their weight (9 pounds if you weigh 185).
And regarding family health insurance costs: some employers are starting to charge those employees whose health metrics fall outside of healthy parameters extra premiums, or to offer rebates to employees whose health metrics stay within healthy parameters. And the amounts are significant: benefit cost differences of $700 to $2,000 have been reported which represents a significant financial impact on your family's budget.
(From a corporate competitiveness perspective, overweight workers cost employers big bucks...up to $2500 a year more than average in related health care bills and lost work for each obese employee. To continue to be viable employers in this global economy, where non-U.S. companies may not even offer benefits, U. S. employers need to minimize healthcare costs. So if we value our jobs and current income levels, we should really concern ourselves with managing our healthcare costs.)
And if saving money on your healthcare costs today isn't a good enough reason to switch to Mediterranean Harvest For Life -- think about retirement. Rising healthcare costs have resulted in a significant increase in the number of working Americans who likely won't be financially prepared to retire, according to the most recent findings by the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College.
"When planning for retirement, one's health is an extremely valuable asset that is often overlooked. It can have a significant impact on the Golden Years, especially as individuals expect to live longer and therefore incur greater health care costs.
Americans need to ensure they are taking into account health care costs when planning for retirement and, further, that they are taking measures now - such as proper diet, regular exercise, and check-ups - to assure their best health possible later."
So, it's never been more important to eat right and reduce healthcare expenses.
So the switch to Mediterranean style of eating can be economically enticing as well as good for your quality of life. It's a dietary regimen that has been proven to help avoid a range of medical problems and even reverse adverse health conditions.
You can cut your healthcare costs dramatically-- including reducing your costs for drugs, doctor visits and hospital stays.
Then you can reinvest in your savings in your family now, and see significant benefits in your retirement years, too.
