"Health" Care Statistics

Hello, PATCH! With the upcoming changes to our health care system, I decided that I would offer some health care related statistics today. Currently, we spend the most amount of money per capita on “health” care, however, we are ranked 38th in the world on how healthy we really are. In the U.S., we are great at emergency care. When it comes to preventative, maintenance care, we are terrible. We are a country of chronic disease caused by processed foods, being sedentary, and a broken health care system. So, here are several facts you may or may not know that could be quite alarming.
Prescriptions:

- There were 4.02 billion prescriptions written in the U.S. in 2011
- 46% of American adults take prescription drugs (2012)
- 34% of American adults take at least one prescription drug
- 11.5% of American adults take three or more prescription drugs
- 6.5% of American adults take 4 or more prescription drugs

- The average number of prescriptions per person in the U.S. in 2011 is 13.
- The average number of prescriptions taken by American adults in 2012 is 4.1
- The number of prescriptions filled by the average American each year is 12

- 23% of Americans aged 18-24 years old are on a prescription drug
- 46% of American adults aged 55 and above are on a prescription drug
- 12.6% of Americans aged 65 and above are taking 4 or more drugs

- 20.4% of those earning $100,000 - $149,000 that said they take one prescription drug
- 14% of those making less than $100,000 that said they take one prescription drug
- 10.5% of those earning $0 - $24,999 said they were taking 4 or more prescription drugs
- 3-5% of those earning $50,000 - $100,000 said they were taking 4 or more prescription drugs

-$208 billion spent on prescription drugs by Americans in 2001, which is almost double that spent in 1996

-$234 billion spent on prescription drugs in the U.S. in 2008

- $325.7 billion spent on prescription drugs in the U.S. in 2012 (a 1% drop from 2011)

-16% of hospital admissions were related to adverse reactions to medicines

-Prescription medications accounted for the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. ahead of pulmonary disease, diabetes, AIDS and automobile deaths

-The number of potential reactions in the average drug is 70

-The number of deaths per year from adverse drug reactions from drugs that are properly prescribed and administered is 106,000.

-In comparison, the number of deaths per year from illegal drugs is only 10,000.

-In 1997, FDA regulations changed - now companies can name both the drug and its purpose, while only naming the most significant potential side effects

-The average number of drug ads every hour of every day on American television is 80

-17.9% increase in prescription drug sales attributed to television advertising in 2002

-1/3 of consumers who've seen a drug ad have talked to their doctor about it

-2/3 of the above ask for a prescription - the majority of which are given the prescription by a doctor (2009)

-7 million people took antidepressants in 2001

-$4 billion spent a year on ads to consumers by pharmaceutical companies

Rather than spending all this money, and not getting a worth while return on our investment, we need to make big changes. As a society, we need to take control of our own health, and make educated decisions about how our body can stay truly well. We need to eat real, whole, foods, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, reduce our stress, and allow our body to heal itself just as it is designed to do. For more information about health and wellness, please feel free to contact me at Swede Family Chiropractic at 610-831-1650. If you are looking for a better, natural way to regain your health, I would be more than happy to help. Have a great week,

Dr. Kyle Klim

Swede Family Chiropractic

130 West Main Street PMB 312

Trappe, PA 19426

www.swedefamilychiropractic.com

610-831-1650

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