Do we have a WEALTH problem, more than a HEALTH problem?

It is no surprise to most people that the healthcare system is broken, and that so much dis-ease is somehow tracked back to being a metabolic dysfunction, but I have a different take.

I don't believe we have just a health problem. We have a WEALTH problem.

Here is what I mean:

We claim to be the wealthiest country in the world, but have one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios in the world. Debt is completely normalized. About 46% of US households have credit card debt. Approximately 85.1 million Americans have a mortgage. This represents about 69.9% of U.S. consumer debt. The average amount owed per person with a mortgage is around $148,120.

The outstanding federal student loan balance is $1.693 trillion; 42.7 million student borrowers have federal loan debt. Healthcare carries 11 of the top 13 professions with the highest debt loads.

We are outspending ourselves, while somehow claiming to have wealth.
It doesn't honestly make sense. Does debt equal wealth?

Along with this, most Americans choose to rely on their health insurance for "being healthy", while knowing it does a crappy job of doing much of anything except for certain catastrophic care. Heaven forbid we actually think of spending anything out of pocket to actually do better or be healthier. In fact, we look at health insurance coverage as an expected "benefit". Is it really a benefit?

We go into six-figures or more worth of debt for various reasons, (Car loans, student loan debt and mortgages are normal, right? Right???) but most Americans fail to BUDGET for being healthier.

What would we look like if each person, before calculating how much house they can afford (don't fall for this trick that will make you house poor), or how much car they can afford (ditto, on a depreciating asset), calculated what they would spend out of their monthly budget to BE HEALTHIER.

You pick the things.

A gym membership. Hot Yoga. Organic groceries from a farm outside of town. Less inflammatory and de-metabolizing crap, and more stuff that actually will keep you healthier for longer.

What would happen?

The housing market would crash. Banks would close. Lenders would shutter. The economy, built largely on loans and debt (a house of cards), would crash.

But, we would recover. We would be healthier for it. And we would probably live longer, better lives, knowing that someone or something else doesn't OWN us (debt is an enslaver).

I'm not debt free (yet) but this is my path towards longevity and health (and financial independence), and what I will teach my kids. Spend more on the stuff that stewards your God-given body and resources WELL, so no one else can own you.

What's your path?