MOVE: July 3, 2014

Planning for the Future.....a Long, Healthy, Future

Spoiler Summary: Maybe it's not so complicated - It starts with a solid plan, based on evidence.....and then? We execute the plan.

We might have personal tax plans authored by tax planners so we ONLY pay our fair share.  We might have personal financial plans authored by financial planners to make sure we'll have enough money put aside for the future.  It's often recommended that we have estate plans authored by estate planners since "we can't take it with us."  But how many of us really have a health plan?  Now I'm not talking about a health plan in the sense of health insurance.....I'm talking about a written document, a plan, authored by a qualified professional that details how we will stay healthy past the tax years, long enough to spend some of those savings and with enough strength to leave a wealth of amazing memories as a big part of our estate?  Well, we should.....and if you don't have one, maybe it's time.

OK, this is not new.  My team has been talking about this for a while, but this week, after hearing a few stories that were played during the ever shrinking news-cycle, I'm convinced NOW is the time for most.

First - there was THIS STORY from the Washington Post which said that fewer than 15% of doctor's visits include a discussion related to nutrition and exercise (two of the most widely accepted pillars of future health). At first, I thought "why not?".  But after reading the article it seemed totally reasonable when considered along with the fact that less than 25% of doctors surveyed felt they had adequate training for such discussions.  It's definitely not ideal (or wise perhaps) to have conversations about something that you're not adequately trained on......but it does leave a void.

Then - there was the very strange twist on an economic report that came out this week about the first quarter.  As it turns out, the first quarter of 2014 was a lot less rosy than expected. However, it wasn't because of poor productivity or less opportunity.  It was in large part because of lowered healthcare spending.  To me, this sounded like a very good thing - the less we spend on the burden of disease the more we have for other things that can improve our quality of life right?  The strange twist (at least to me) was that not everyone shared the sentiment.  Some analysts seemed genuinely down about it. Bizarre, I thought.

Last - the "brighter" news was that the single biggest age group coming into the workforce was 23 year- olds.....this is bright news, however it was only bright in relation to health because this group appears to embrace health more fully than the generation before them and would be in a position to carry some of the burden of the less healthy group that preceded them (ie all of us).

The only real conclusion I could come up with was - these are strange times when it comes to health (which also applies to prevention and safety). We all know we want to be healthy and the evidence clearly shows that it's doable......but sickness is a real economic engine......a good portion of the experts who make up the foundation of our medical system don't feel prepared to make the jump from sickness-management to health.....and the "brighter" news is not one of fixing the problem but simply hanging on long enough to age out of it.....yikes.

Maybe I'm an optimist.  Maybe I'm a fool. It wouldn't be the first time I've been called either.....probably not even the first time today.....but we CAN do better, and there is absolutely no reason to wait.  We can each have a plan, with realistic milestones and real progress toward a better end-goal.  We will all have times when we go off course and it won't go exactly as planned.....but poor health, low quality of life and dumping money into sickness are not the only option for the future; less money spent on treating illness is a very very good thing; and it doesn't matter whether you're 9 or 92, it's never too early and it's NEVER EVER too late to start.

Oh.....and I know a few folks who are supremely confident discussing nutrition and exercise.....we're ready when you are.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.