In addition teenagers and young adults often do nbot need health care period.
BS”D
This is correct. With the exception of one school accident which was minor, and a sports related request for a (fruitless) consultation and X-rays, I had no treatment that could not be handled by phone (call in teenage skincare RX, 3 refills ran out, call in another one) from age 10 to age 38 when my cholesterol level, which I had been monitoring on my own by going to labs in Moscow and EY and getting it tested annually, was deemed high enough to need treatment.
Today I treat it outside my insurance as it is not worth dealing with paperwork for barely $9 worth of fine Czech made “branded generic” Lipitor every month. I think that price is lower than the US copay for it on most insurances. I get my well packaged, properly made statin OTC and know full well to take my liver enzyme tests every year ($10). In the US nanny state, I would get four worthless followups a year on that Lipitor, so that the underpaid doctor could get a few extra capitation payments out of my insurance and the copays out of my BH healthy self.
I also keep a handful of skin creams in the house and a couple of them are RX in the US. All of them together cost me less than my dinner did today and I probably use a tube of each per annum if that. These, too, would necessitate a consultation and RX in the US.
Cut the nanny state and treat adults like adults. Educate people to read and be aware and take care of themselves – and to help each other rather than expect big daddy gov’t to step in. THAT is how you cut costs.