The following excerpts are from chapter one of a book in progress by Ron Robins, tentatively titled, Resolving Americas

Economic Quagmire individuals gaining inner fulfillment is the key* -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------These [Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid] and other projected expenditures have produced, not a fiscal cliff, but a fiscal abyss. Professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Boston University.

vervie! "#xcerpt$ Professor Kotlikoff calculates this fiscal abyss of the U.S. Fe eral !overn"ent as an astoun in# unfun e liability of $%&' trillion. (t e)uals a current ebt of about $**',&&& for every livin# +"erican a ult an chil . +n "ost of this su" ,ertains to health care. -he health care costs )ua#"ire ,oses a financial eathblo. to the U.S. econo"y an its citi/ens. -o avert this cala"ity, +"erica0s health care syste" .ill be reva",e . 1ot.ithstan in# 2ba"acare, one .ay .ill be to re-or#ani/e the health care syste" accor in# to .ell-stu ie "etho olo#ies that sho. hu#e ,otential cost savin#s. 3hile another .ay#arnerin# increasin# attentionis by utili/in# scientifically vali ate isease ,revention interventions such as the -ranscen ental 4e itation 5-46 ,ro#ra". +lso, "any ,olitical lea ers, econo"ists an others, believe there .ill nee to be substantial re uctions in health care benefits as .ell. (nterestin#ly, by e,loyin# the kno.n "etho olo#ies an interventions inferre to above an .ritten about belo., it "i#ht not be necessary to re uce benefits yet still be able to cut health care costs a stunnin# '&-7& ,er cent89 Major health care cost drivers. %educin& their cost throu&h health syste' refor' and introduction of the Transcendental Meditation disease prevention pro&ra' "#xcerpt$ :-he "a;or health care cost rivers are<

-he increasin# inci ence of chronic isease in an a#in# ,o,ulation =elatively fe.er .orkers to ,ay for increasin# costs >?ce,tionally hi#h ,rofessional fees relative to other evelo,e countries @u#e oversu,,ly of services, e)ui,"ent + "inistration costs an frau

1o. .e look at these issues one by one, an .here a,,ro,riate, eter"ine the role that in ivi ual -4 ,ractice can ,lay in re ucin# their costs.9

The increasin& incidence of chronic disease in an a&in& population "#xcerpt$ :2ver half of +"ericans have chronic iseases. Aet, es,ite si#nificant i",rove"ents in treat"ents for chronic iseases, their inci ence an relate financial costs continue risin# ra"atically. +ctual costs of +"erica0s seven "ost co""on chronic iseasescancer, iabetes, hy,ertension, stroke, heart isease, ,ul"onary con itions an "ental isor ershave been esti"ate at $B.C trillion annually by =oss DeEol an collea#ues, or about B& ,er cent of #ross o"estic ,ro uct 5!DP6. -heir uni)ue an ori#inal stu y )uantifie al"ost all relate costs to e",loyers, #overn"ents, an to the U.S econo"y. -hey say those costs coul reach $F.% trillion by %&%C. 1u"erous researchers cite the #ro.in# inci ence of chronic isease as "ostly ue to a#in#. @o.ever, "any in the "e ical fiel also believe that "ore i",ortant than a#in# are the unhealthy lifestyles, iets, an behaviors of "ost +"ericans. +n this is another area .here the -4 ,ractice can be hi#hly beneficial. +si e fro" its .ell- ocu"ente ,hysical health benefits, -4 creates an Ginner fulfill"ent an self-sufficiency0 that alleviates the esire for the kin of instant #ratification 5.ith ba lifestyles, iets, etc.6 that cause "uch chronic isease.

-he first "a;or stu y e"onstratin# the effectiveness of the -4 ,ractice in re ucin# chronic isease 5an overall illness6 .as by Dr. Davi 2r"e-Johnson in BH7I. Usin# Blue JrossKBlue Shiel ata, Dr. Johnson foun an avera#e '&L re uction in "e ical utili/ation in all B* "a;or isease cate#ories stu ie a"on# sub;ects ,racticin# -4 as co",are to "atche controls. +s the el erly are res,onsible is,ro,ortionately for health care costs, so"e researchers su##est they be ,articularly encoura#e to ,ractice -4. 2ne lea in# researcher on health care costs, Dr. =obert @erron, .rote about this in the @uffin#ton Post on July BC, %&B%. Dr. @erron re"arke --on a stu y he i --that, G(n the 4e icare ,o,ulation... the hi#hest s,en in# %' ,ercent of seniors accounte for 7' ,ercent of total e?,ensesM an that there .as Ma %7 ,ercent re uction in octorsM bills over five years fro" baseline for ,ersistent hi#h-cost ,eo,le .ho ,ractice the -4 techni)ue.M9 %elatively fe!er !or(ers to pay for increasin& health care costs "#xcerpt$ Bet.een %&B% to %&'& the Unite 1ations ,re icts the U.S. labor force havin# far fe.er .orkers 5a#e B' to *F years6 for every +"erican over *' years o.n fro" ' to C .orkers over that ,erio .9 #xceptionally hi&h professional fees co'pared to other developed countries "#xcerpt$ -he follo.in# ata is e?tracte fro" the (nternational Fe eration of @ealth Plans %&B% Jo",arative Price =e,ort, a B&&"e"ber #rou, of co",anies in C& countries .hich inclu es a hu#e #rou, of international health ,rovi ers.9
USA Average US$ 630 1,121 4,287 73,420 Canada US$ 124 Netherlands US$ 267 319 731 14,061 France US$ 183 363 8)3 22,844

2012: Medical service provided

Scanning & Imaging

CT Scan, Abdomen MRI

Ho !i"a# C$a%ge To"a# Ho !i"a# & &$( ician C$a%ge &$( ician +ee 0o%ma# 'e#i1e%(

&e% 'a( Co%ona%( A%"e%( *(!a Ro,"ine -..ice /i i"

9) 3,096

30 )36

292

30 )83

)u&e oversupply of services, e*uip'ent "#xcerpt$ +fter revie.in# the book, Trac(in& Medicine by John >. 3ennber#, +rnol =el"an on Se,te"ber C&, %&B&, .rote, GN3ennber#O ,rovi es convincin# evi ence that oversu,,ly of services throu#hout the U.S. a s #reatly to the cost of care.0 4r. =el"an a s, G3ennber# NsaysO that since the "e ical care in the lo.-e?,en iture areas is not iscernibly ifferent in )uality fro" that in the hi#h-e?,en iture areas, a hu#e a"ount of "oney coul be save if all the country .ere to receive care the .ay it is ,rovi e in the lo.-e?,en iture areas. 3ennber# esti"ates the savin#s .oul be about C& to F& ,ercent.09 +d'inistration costs and fraud "#xcerpt$ :+"erican health care a "inistrative costs 5at rou#hly I ,er cent of all health care costs6 are rou#hly ouble those of other evelo,e countries, says 4ark Pearson, @ea , @ealth Division, of the 2>JD. +n the Fe eral Bureau of (nvesti#ation calculates that frau costs the health care syste" about $7& billion annuallyor about C ,er cent of all health care e?,en itures.9 ,onclusion "#xcerpt$ =esolvin# the health care financial )ua#"ire an avoi in# its ,otential financial eathblo. re)uires un,arallele chan#es to the health care syste" an +"ericans0 attitu es about their health an health care. (t re)uires refor"in# the health care syste" by i",le"entin# kno.n cost-effective "o alities. (t "eans intro ucin# scientifically vali ate cost-savin# isease

,revention ,ro#ra"s such as the -4 techni)ue that create an inner fulfill"ent an self-sufficiency that en#en ers i",rove ,ersonal ,sycholo#y, healthier lifestyles, iets, an so forth. (",le"entin# these reco""en ations coul cut U.S. health care costs by '&-7& ,er cent an i",rove health outco"es all .ithout re ucin# benefits8: References DeEol, =. at al. 5%&&I6. +n Unhealthy +"erica< -he >cono"ic Bur en of Jhronic DiseaseJhartin# a 1e. Jourse to Save Lives an (ncrease Pro uctivity an >cono"ic !ro.th, 4ilken (nstitute. Fe eral Bureau of (nvesti#ation. =ootin# out health care frau is central to the .ell-bein# of both our citi/ens an the overall econo"y. @erron, =. >. 5%&BB6. Jhan#es in ,hysician costs a"on# hi#h-cost transcen ental "e iation ,ractitioners co",are .ith hi#h-cost non ,ractitioners over ' years, +'erican -ournal of )ealth .ro'otion, %*5B6, '*-*&. (nternational Fe eration of @ealth Plans. 5%&B%6. Jo",arative Price =e,ort, Eariation in 4e ical an @os,ital Prices by Jountry, Unite Kin# o". Kotlikoff, L. J. 5%&B%6. -he @ysterical >cono"y, E2P, Dece"ber B*, %&B%. Kotlikoff, L. J. 5%&BC6. +"erica in 3orse Fiscal Sha,e than Detroit--Professor Laurence Kotlikoff, vi eo intervie. .ith host !re# @unter, US+ 3atch o#, Dece"ber F. 2r"e-Johnson, D. 5BH7I6. 4e ical care utili/ation an the -ranscen ental 4e itation ,ro#ra", .sychoso'atic Medicine, FH5B6, FHCQ'&I. Pearson, 4. 5%&&H6. Dis,arities in health e?,en iture across 2>JD countries< 3hy oes the Unite States s,en so "uch "ore than other countriesR 3ritten state"ent to the U.S. Senate S,ecial Jo""ittee on +#in#, Se,te"ber C&, P.I. =el"an, +. 5%&B&6. @ealth Jare< -he Dis)uietin# -ruth, The /e! 0or( %evie! of 1oo(s, Se,te"ber C&. Unite 1ations. 5%&B%6. De,art"ent of >cono"ic an Social +ffairs, Po,ulation Division, Po,ulation +#ein# an Develo,"ent. 3ennber#, J. >. 5%&B&6. Trac(in& Medicine2 + %esearcher3s 4uest to 5nderstand )ealth ,are, 2?for University Press, first e ition. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------S (n his ,ros,ective book, %esolvin& +'erica6s #cono'ic 4ua&'ire individuals &ainin& inner fulfill'ent is the (ey, 4r. =obins eluci ates +"erica0s hi en structural econo"ic an social fault lines, their costs, an the econo"ic benefits .hen resolve in the viable "anner he ,rescribes. Further"ore, he eter"ines that unresolve , these fault lines are a eathblo. to +"erica0s .ell-bein#. 4r. =obins believes this financial eathblo. "i#ht only be sto,,e by a fun a"ental shift in in ivi ual an collective consciousness< fro" that centere on seekin# instant #ratification an fulfill"ent outsi e of ourselves, to one focuse on Ginternal fulfill"ent an "ental balance.0 4r. =obins ar#ues that to create this chan#e, the scientific literature su##ests the -ranscen ental 4e itation ,ro#ra" coul be an o,ti"al solution. >ach cha,ter of his book e?a"ines an area of societyhealth, environ"ent, fa"ily, cri"e, an so forthin the li#ht of kno.n cost-effective "o alities to i",rove con itions a,,licable to that area, as .ell as the associate "erits of the -4 ,ro#ra". 3here ,ossible, the ollar cost savin#s are sho.n in relation to their share of #ross o"estic ,ro uct 5!DP6. 4r. =obins esti"ates his ,ro,osals "ay ,ro uce overall savin#s to !DP of over F& ,er cent. -hese cost savin#s .ill allo. for the e,loy"ent of un,arallele ne. econo"ic resources to #reatly enhance +"ericans0 econo"ic an social .ell-bein#.
T =on =obins %&BC