A recent article in the Bangor Daily News lists Maine as having the fifth highest health care costs in the U.S., and mentions that health care expenses in the U.S. overall are two-and-a-half times greater than the next most expensive country. The article goes on to mention some of the reasons for the expense, including the ageing of our population, "excess infrastructure" of health technology and hospitals, an above-average use of the emergency room and increases in chronic illness. I'm sure these factors have an effect on our health care expenses. But, from a wellness perspective, they absolutely pale in comparison to the two biggest cost drivers in our current culture: lifestyle, and a health care system that focuses on treating disease with drugs rather than improving health.
