Most working Americans get their health insurance through their employer. This is a huge part of the cost of running a business. Starbucks spends more on healthcare than they do on coffee. General Motors spends more on healthcare than they do on steel. Our healthcare is dominated by businessmen who stand between patients and clinicians. They have made their contracts and other business arrangements secret so that your employer and your company’s employees cannot possibly understand how the money flows. There are many in the current system who benefit from this secrecy. They get much more money. This reality is a major cause of the poor functioning of our healthcare system. That money gives them the ability to make major political contributions to keep the current broken system in place. They win and everyone else loses—including your employer. The best chance we have to get better health at lower cost is through collaboration of employers. They are the only group with the muscle to push back against the medical business machine that is taking advantage of them and other Americans.
Bypassing the corrupt system is important, and way overdue; however, the need for reform of how patients are diagnosed and treated is existential. There must adopt an honest approach to evaluating the safety and effectiveness of treatments offered to patients. The current legacy system is what I call a “late-stage-sickness-seeking-profiteering-kabuki-dance” theatrical release’s sponsored by the American Medical Industrial Complex. Root causes of chronic diseases are ignored and neglected. Effective early detection and primary prevention are marginalized. The legacy system pays lip service to these effective measures. Overwhelming majority of the NIH funding is focused on “diseases” in the costly and deadly late stages, which are often too little and too late. I call this legacy system the 20th Century Med 2.0
Fundamental changes of the system, including the corrupt “insurance middlemen” approach need to take place now. We have the tools, the knowledge, and the evidence to make the changes to a new system, the 21st Century Med 3.0. Some of us started this transformation more that twenty years ago; we are growing stronger each day! Join the conversation and join the community of this amazing journey!
An example: Keio University Hospital System, serving in the center of Tokyo, has set up two separate services: one for wealthy individuals and corporate executives, and another for the general public, with a focus on wellness, disease early detection, and primary prevention under the flag of the Japanese Society of Ningen Dock with the support of the Keio University’s academic research team and clinical practice teams.
They serve large employers with tens of thousands of employees and their family members.
That is why they spend half as much as we do on healthcare. One out of every five dollars is spent on healthcare here. In Japan, it is one out of every ten and they live longer.
The data collected from these opportunities will drive the next-generation systems development and fundamentally transform the Med 2.0 to the new Med 3.0 for good, Bill! Stay tuned! Never say never!
The new data network design will not allow that to happen. It must be transparent and open to everyone participating in the process, securely, and with maximum privacy protection. Stay tuned!
Bill, reliance on reality based data is how we build our technology. The next generation platform will be even better with the access to quality and trustworthy data sources world wide. MCG is ushering a new era of transparency, honesty, and accountability in developing diagnostic tools and evaluating any treatment options, from lifestyle to medical treatment, even interventions. The days of gaslighting the public to plunder are coming to an end!
Nov 15, 2023·edited Nov 15, 2023Liked by William H Bestermann Jr MD
True; however, we are making the changes, regardless. It is happening in Japan, Korea, and many other countries, even in the alternative medicine world in America. People get it and are paying for our services, and following our example!
We have succeeded in bypassing the corrupt middleman and entered the market without selling ourselves short!
Better management of poor health is one approach. Better health is the best approach. The latter can be incentivized by employers & others, but this really comes down to each individual making better choices, resulting in better outcomes.
If people take care of themselves responsibly (e.g., cutting out sugar, carbs, junk food, fast food, processed foods, moderate exercise, reduced stress, adequate sleep, positive attitude & productive goals)—essentially, a healthy lifestyle, including intermittent fasting & a ketogenic or carnivore diet—they will get sick & injured less often, especially with chronic illnesses, go to the doctor & hospital less often, reduce their healthcare costs this way, and enjoy a happier life with better health & productivity day in & day out.
Here’s one specific malady—a terrifying one my sister died from at the age of 66 (in addition to stage 4 lung & liver cancer)—that can be avoided and/or improved by this. There are many other examples.
The biggest problem is extremely confusing messages. You can only make better choices if you understand the truth and the facts about chronic diseases. There are confusing messages about what you cannot do. There are even more confusing messages about what you should do. This site is about the truth and the facts in healthcare. I do my best to sort that out without advertising conflicts in interest. By helping patients use evidence-based care processes consistent with best practices, a ten-fold reducing in all-cause mortality over 5 years is possible. Everything you described as a healthy lifestyle is spot on and it is not that hard.
Unfortunately, the messages have been confusing since 9 out of 10 doctors said they smoke Camel cigarettes, to say nothing of the promotion of big-Pharma drugs that end up becoming lawsuits a year later.
Cooperative education & supervision between patients and trustworthy, functional medicine doctors (with a track record of good outcomes) is a practical approach. Consumers of healthcare must educate themselves like they would for other products & services. Personal responsibility (as I previously defined it) would probably eliminate 70-90% of chronic diseases and reduce healthcare costs correspondingly.
Bypassing the corrupt system is important, and way overdue; however, the need for reform of how patients are diagnosed and treated is existential. There must adopt an honest approach to evaluating the safety and effectiveness of treatments offered to patients. The current legacy system is what I call a “late-stage-sickness-seeking-profiteering-kabuki-dance” theatrical release’s sponsored by the American Medical Industrial Complex. Root causes of chronic diseases are ignored and neglected. Effective early detection and primary prevention are marginalized. The legacy system pays lip service to these effective measures. Overwhelming majority of the NIH funding is focused on “diseases” in the costly and deadly late stages, which are often too little and too late. I call this legacy system the 20th Century Med 2.0
Fundamental changes of the system, including the corrupt “insurance middlemen” approach need to take place now. We have the tools, the knowledge, and the evidence to make the changes to a new system, the 21st Century Med 3.0. Some of us started this transformation more that twenty years ago; we are growing stronger each day! Join the conversation and join the community of this amazing journey!
We will never change treatment and diagnosis until we fix the financial model that support care. The money drives what clinicians do.
An example: Keio University Hospital System, serving in the center of Tokyo, has set up two separate services: one for wealthy individuals and corporate executives, and another for the general public, with a focus on wellness, disease early detection, and primary prevention under the flag of the Japanese Society of Ningen Dock with the support of the Keio University’s academic research team and clinical practice teams.
They serve large employers with tens of thousands of employees and their family members.
That is why they spend half as much as we do on healthcare. One out of every five dollars is spent on healthcare here. In Japan, it is one out of every ten and they live longer.
Yes there really are no blue zones in USA.
The data collected from these opportunities will drive the next-generation systems development and fundamentally transform the Med 2.0 to the new Med 3.0 for good, Bill! Stay tuned! Never say never!
Big data will definitely help us understand what really works and what does not work.
I hope but often some of that data is hidden
The new data network design will not allow that to happen. It must be transparent and open to everyone participating in the process, securely, and with maximum privacy protection. Stay tuned!
Bill, reliance on reality based data is how we build our technology. The next generation platform will be even better with the access to quality and trustworthy data sources world wide. MCG is ushering a new era of transparency, honesty, and accountability in developing diagnostic tools and evaluating any treatment options, from lifestyle to medical treatment, even interventions. The days of gaslighting the public to plunder are coming to an end!
Good news
True; however, we are making the changes, regardless. It is happening in Japan, Korea, and many other countries, even in the alternative medicine world in America. People get it and are paying for our services, and following our example!
We have succeeded in bypassing the corrupt middleman and entered the market without selling ourselves short!
That is great
Another wonderful very helpful article. Thank you
I appreciate your support and comments
Better management of poor health is one approach. Better health is the best approach. The latter can be incentivized by employers & others, but this really comes down to each individual making better choices, resulting in better outcomes.
If people take care of themselves responsibly (e.g., cutting out sugar, carbs, junk food, fast food, processed foods, moderate exercise, reduced stress, adequate sleep, positive attitude & productive goals)—essentially, a healthy lifestyle, including intermittent fasting & a ketogenic or carnivore diet—they will get sick & injured less often, especially with chronic illnesses, go to the doctor & hospital less often, reduce their healthcare costs this way, and enjoy a happier life with better health & productivity day in & day out.
Here’s one specific malady—a terrifying one my sister died from at the age of 66 (in addition to stage 4 lung & liver cancer)—that can be avoided and/or improved by this. There are many other examples.
https://youtu.be/2OdHZqOgP9o?feature=shared
The biggest problem is extremely confusing messages. You can only make better choices if you understand the truth and the facts about chronic diseases. There are confusing messages about what you cannot do. There are even more confusing messages about what you should do. This site is about the truth and the facts in healthcare. I do my best to sort that out without advertising conflicts in interest. By helping patients use evidence-based care processes consistent with best practices, a ten-fold reducing in all-cause mortality over 5 years is possible. Everything you described as a healthy lifestyle is spot on and it is not that hard.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20973686/
Unfortunately, the messages have been confusing since 9 out of 10 doctors said they smoke Camel cigarettes, to say nothing of the promotion of big-Pharma drugs that end up becoming lawsuits a year later.
Cooperative education & supervision between patients and trustworthy, functional medicine doctors (with a track record of good outcomes) is a practical approach. Consumers of healthcare must educate themselves like they would for other products & services. Personal responsibility (as I previously defined it) would probably eliminate 70-90% of chronic diseases and reduce healthcare costs correspondingly.
I couldn't agree with bill more.