Would you like to listen to this article? Link for access to the podcast version.

A decade ago, healthcare didn’t take nearly the bite it takes from our budgets today. We got the care we needed, when we needed it, and didn’t fight for more time with our doctors, or better coverage from our payers. Employers paid for our health insurance without deducting huge chunks from our paychecks. Our care didn’t seem so dependent on money.

Today we hear about profits and fraud. We complain about exorbitant premiums and co-pays. But we rarely consider one important reason healthcare has become so expensive. That is, it has become so successful.

A generation ago, a man might have died from a heart attack at age 50. Today he survives that heart attack, and lives into his 70s, acquiring diabetes or cancer along the way. He requires decades of healthcare services he would not have needed had he not survived. Those extra years carry a price tag, shared among the man, his insurer and us taxpayers
.
A generation ago, a baby died if its mother couldn't carry her pregnancy to term. Today many pre-term babies survive, even when they are born a month or more early, because processes, machines and drugs have been developed to keep them alive.

When those babies died, there was little cost for their care. Today the cost to keep a preemie alive may be huge, particularly for those who stay in hospital neonatal intensive care units. Further, these little ones may require additional services for years, and sometimes for their lifetimes, to sustain their health -- services as "simple" as speech therapy or as complex as total support for profound disabilities.

Who pays to take care of them? As taxpayers, we all share that cost. An expense that wasn’t required – or possible – a generation ago.

In its purest sense, healthcare is intended to extend longevity and improve our quality of life. As a population, we have enjoyed both. We all know someone who has survived a health issue they might not have survived years ago.

Even when we understand the benefits, most of us believe that healthcare costs far more than it needs to. We are understandably frustrated, especially as we hear politicians negotiate reform.

But next time you get upset about healthcare reform and the cost of your care, think about loved ones who are with us today who might not have survived without the progress that’s been made. Those thoughts may provide some perspective.

............................

Learn more about healthcare reform in the United States from Trisha's About.com Patient Empowerment site.