Words That Should be Replaced: 1. Healthcare

Healthcare Medical Care

 

This is the first installment in what I plan as an ongoing series.

I chose this particular word for the first one in the series because it’s near and dear to me, because of my 30+ years as a chiropractor.

The word “healthcare” as commonly used today means the sale of medical goods and services, or the sale of services that manage payments for medical goods and services (such as government and corporate medical plans).

Yet, those services would be more accurately referred to as “illnesscare”

or more neutrally, “medical care” instead. With very few exceptions, when you visit a clinic, doctor, or hospital, you’re seeking treatment for an illness or injury. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact it’s great that medical care is available! I’m just pointing out that medical treatment is only a small part of the process of caring for your health.

What do you do to avoid illness or injury?

Eat well, stay active, get plenty of sleep, drink water, laugh with your friends, wear your seatbelt, wash your hands, get massages and spinal adjustments, brush your teeth, get a little sunshine? Wouldn’t all those things be more accurately referred to as “healthcare”? Those are things you do while you’re healthy in order to care for your health. And they are actions that are under your individual control.

Why is this important?

Because it refocuses the discussion of health and well-being to include the elements of personal responsibility and creative initiative, instead of framing it as something you passively pay to have done to you.

Anywhere you hear or read the word “healthcare,” replace it with the phrase “medical care.”