One of the best investments in my life, or how much I pay for my health within a year

Reality of my present life

Most of the people I know, including me, live a hectic life. Many of us are constantly bombarded by local and global information. We need to absorb, evaluate, and process this information, and then depending on the outcome of this process, we may decide to take action.

Yes, our plates are full and because of that we appreciate and happily delegate some of our issues to somebody else. This way we save some of our time, attention, and energy required to attend to everything in our lives.

In search of concrete numbers

One of the most important spheres of our life, which is our health and the responsibility for it, has been by most of us voluntarily passed on to the health system of our country, which practically means to politicians.

To add to this, when we talk about concrete health issues, we are again voluntarily passing the solution finding to our local MD or to a specific health specialist. This may be because of the perceived complexity of our health issue or perhaps at times because of laziness. As a result of this, we have not only lost the concept that our illness has a context, but also the real costs of our personal and family’s health evades us.

What then is practical, real value of our health?

I am not going to philosophize about a commonly known proverb which says that “Our health is the most valuable thing we have”. Yes, I do agree with that, but at this moment it would be too abstract and because of that, not practical.

What do I pay for?

I will not list concrete numbers, as those differ with our living standards as well as where we reside on the planet Earth.

1. I personally pay, every month, health insurance to health insurance company, which is obligatory by law in my country.
2. I am self employed so nobody refunds my lost income in case I get sick. It is obvious that both long and short term recovery from an illness has an influence on my income.
3. I have an eight year old daughter, Sofie. If she gets sick, I need to take care of her, so I can’t fully engage in my work. Obviously this situation doesn't pay off.
4. I am paying for two different hobbies for Sofie. In case she gets sick and she can’t attend, I am losing deposited money.
5. The same applies for missed sessions of my hobbies which I can’t attend, because of my own or my daughter’s illness.
6. I wonder what price tag I can put on a painful wrist, a migraine headache, or some sort of gastric issue which doesn't necessarily stop me from working, but definitely doesn't allow me to enjoy my hobbies.
7. I hear quite common stories about a family getting ready for long awaited holidays. One of the kids gets diarrhea just before leaving and the result is cancellation fees on the air tickets and hotel accommodation.
8. And if we talk about staying abroad, then from my experience any health issue costs much more than at home. Sure I can and do get insurance, but this is an extra cost. Again, what price tag can we put on holidays when we get sick, or even worse, when our child gets sick?
9. I can add on the list my parents, who have now passed on, which by being sick required extra care and extra expenses.
10.  Lastly, I hear stories about the health issues of pets and the extreme costs associated with veterinary care.

Should I then invest, or no?

My family is above average if we talk about personal health, and because of that and what I listed above, I am very aware. I consider investment into prevention and into any “universal“ solution for common and uncommon health issues as cardinal.

I can honestly proclaim that with my seven years experience with coMra, that it has been so far one of my best life investments. An investment which was already many times re-paid.