The Paradox And Perceptions Of Money And Health

There is an intriguing perception of money and its relationship to health in our community. For many, spending more money on some item or service equates to the perception of a higher quality of service. There are some very interesting cost dynamics and perceptions that take place in health care as well.

There is a commonly-held perception that if a personal trainer or coach is more expensive, then they MUST be good. We see the same in the world of health care – the greater the cost (or the longer the waiting list), the better the provider must be. But where are the outcomes? Accountability? Results?

In most businesses, good quality work and/or service is rewarded with economic prosperity. You provide a good outcome, and you do well economically. You provide a lousy outcome (on a regular enough basis), and you are looking for a new career. But for some reason, these basic rules of capitalism (and quality) seem to change when there is any mention of “health”.

In health care, you might think that it is related to the involvement of third party reimbursement. There generally isn’t a direct fiscal relationship between client and provider. But the same type of thing happens with personal trainers and coaches – and there is no third party reimbursement involved there at all. I suspect that the issue isn’t solely related to money. Perceptions weigh in heavily.

In the fitness world, we can look at the sport of triathlon for a prime example of this paradox. Athletes will perceive the need to spend $3000 or more on a tri bike, $250 on a wetsuit, $50 on swim accessories, $200 on cycling shoes, helmet, and accessories, $150 on tri clothing, $150 on running shoes, and $250 on a race entry (upwards of $600 on an Ironman event). With that said, they won’t spend money on a coach or, as I like to call it, efforts to understand the principles necessary to “build the engine”. But they sure don’t think twice about all of the other stuff because that is what is going to make them better, faster, or just happier. Or so the perception goes.

In the health care world, we can look at low back pain as another fine example. Patients will think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on medication, thousands of dollars on imaging, hundreds of dollars on interminable visits for insurance-reimbursed physical therapy or chiropractic care. But when it comes to spending $15 on a book like “Treat Your Own Back”, oh no! Don’t even consider that as an option.

There is a huge disconnect prevalent – and I suspect it is on a number of different levels.

Perhaps this is related to our general perception of health. True “health” is an active process. It is a very individual process that is intimately related to growth and learning. It is easy to throw wads of cash at some of these things, but they won’t necessarily make you healthier unless you understand the principles – and not blindly follow the practices.

Education and learning go a long way in health. They are low tech, long-lasting, and oftentimes low cost. But they aren’t always quite so glamorous or cool. Maybe keeping up with the Joneses is more important than the most effective long-term solution.

Photo credits: Dougtone