Health insurance is often marketed as a safety net, a shield, or even a guardian angel. It promises peace of mind and protection against the unexpected. But is it truly the key to wellbeing? Or is it an illusion that thrives on fear and keeps us dependent on a profit-driven system?
In this blog, we’ll explore how health insurance perpetuates fear, why it fails to deliver true security, and how genuine wellbeing can’t be bought—but must be cultivated from within.
Why Health Insurance Thrives on Fear
Health insurance companies are built on a simple formula: profit from uncertainty. By emphasizing worst-case scenarios, they ensure that fear keeps you tethered to their services.
1. Fear-Driven Messaging
From TV commercials to billboards, health insurance is marketed with fear at its core:
- “What if you can’t pay your medical bills?”
- “What will happen to your family if you fall ill?”
This constant focus on the “what if” keeps you anxious and dependent, reinforcing the belief that you can’t survive without their policies.
2. The Illusion of Security
Insurance policies come with fine print, exclusions, and deductibles that often leave people unprotected when they need help the most. Even with coverage, many face high out-of-pocket costs and denied claims, shattering the promise of peace of mind.
The Health Insurance Trap: False Promises of Wellbeing
Health insurance is sold as a guarantee of security, but it often fails to address the root causes of our health and happiness.
1. A Transactional System
At its core, health insurance is a business. Its goal isn’t to keep you healthy—it’s to maximize profits. Policies are designed to ensure that insurers win, while you pay the price through premiums, co-pays, and uncovered expenses.
2. Dependency Over Resilience
By relying on health insurance, you become dependent on an external system rather than building your own resilience. This creates a cycle of fear and helplessness, making it harder to trust your ability to navigate life’s uncertainties.
True Wellbeing Can’t Be Bought
Real security and peace of mind don’t come from a policy or premium—they come from within. Here’s how to break free from the health insurance trap and cultivate genuine wellbeing:
1. Take Ownership of Your Health
- Prioritize preventive care, such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management.
- View your health as a lifelong journey, not something to outsource to an insurance company.
2. Embrace Uncertainty
- Life is unpredictable, and that’s okay. Instead of clinging to the illusion of control, focus on building your capacity to adapt and thrive.
- Mindfulness and gratitude practices can help you stay grounded in the present, reducing fear of the unknown.
3. Reconnect with Community
- Before modern insurance systems, people relied on community networks for support during tough times. Reviving these mutual aid models fosters trust, belonging, and shared resilience.
- Build relationships that are based on care and connection, not transactions.
Asha’s Journey: A Story of Letting Go
Let me share a story that illustrates the illusion of security and the path to true wellbeing.
Asha was a climber who dreamed of scaling the mountain called “True Wellbeing.” Before her journey, merchants sold her tools they claimed were essential: a Safety Net, a Shield, and a Parachute. Each tool came with a promise: “Buy this, and you’ll be safe.”
But as Asha climbed, she realized the tools weren’t helping. The Safety Net snagged on rocks, the Shield weighed her down, and the Parachute distracted her. Exhausted, she met a hermit who climbed effortlessly with no tools.
“Why don’t you use these tools?” Asha asked.
The hermit smiled. “These tools don’t protect you from the mountain—they only distract you. Storms will come, and paths will crumble. What matters is how you climb.”
Inspired, Asha shed her tools and trusted her instincts. For the first time, she felt light, free, and truly connected to the mountain. Every step built her strength, and every challenge made her more resilient.
Breaking Free from the Trap
Like Asha, we’ve been sold the illusion that health insurance can protect us from life’s uncertainties. But true security doesn’t come from policies or premiums—it comes from within.
What You Can Do Today
- Focus on Prevention: Commit to small, daily actions that nurture your physical and mental health.
- Build Resilience: Trust your ability to adapt and overcome challenges instead of relying on external systems.
- Strengthen Community Ties: Create a network of mutual support to navigate life’s ups and downs together.
Conclusion: The Path to True Wellbeing
Health insurance isn’t the key to peace of mind—it’s a system that profits from fear and dependency. True wellbeing can’t be bought, but it can be cultivated through resilience, self-care, and meaningful connections.
It’s time to shed the weight of fear and climb toward a life of true freedom and security. Are you ready to take the first step?
Why Insurance is transactional and perpetuates suffering?
Insurance is transactional by design because it operates on a commercial model where financial transactions dictate the relationship between the insurer and the insured. This inherently perpetuates suffering by fostering dependence, amplifying fear, and disconnecting individuals from the true sources of security and wellbeing. Here’s how and why this happens:
1. The Transactional Nature of Insurance
Premiums in Exchange for Promised Security: Insurance is a contract where you pay regular premiums in return for a promise of financial coverage in case of specific events. This relationship reduces security to a monetary exchange, turning something as profound as health or peace of mind into a commodified service.
Fine Print and Exclusions: Policies are riddled with terms, conditions, and exclusions. The transactional aspect ensures that insurers prioritize profitability, often leaving policyholders uncovered when they need help the most.
Focus on Profit, Not Care: Insurance companies are businesses, not caretakers. Their primary goal is to maximize profits, which can lead to denied claims, rising premiums, and reduced coverage.
2. How Transactional Insurance Perpetuates Suffering
Fear as a Foundation: Insurance thrives on fear of the unknown—illness, accidents, disasters. It amplifies these fears to create demand for its services, ensuring individuals feel insecure without coverage.
False Sense of Control: Insurance offers the illusion that you can control life’s uncertainties through financial preparation. However, no policy can prevent suffering, and the reliance on insurance may reduce personal resilience and adaptability.
Dependency on External Systems: By outsourcing security to an external entity, individuals may neglect building inner strength, community connections, and holistic health practices. This dependency creates vulnerability, especially if coverage is denied or insufficient.
Economic Stress: High premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs can cause significant financial strain, adding another layer of suffering to the already vulnerable.
3. The Disconnect from True Wellbeing
Transactional vs. Relational Security:
True security comes from relationships, self-reliance, and resilience. Insurance, being transactional, lacks the emotional or communal support that comes from non-monetary systems of care, such as family or community networks.
Health as a Commodity: The transactional nature of insurance turns health into a product, detracting from its intrinsic value and reinforcing the mindset that it can be bought rather than cultivated through proactive care.
4. Breaking the Cycle of Transactional Suffering
Shift Focus to Prevention: Invest time and energy in habits that promote health and resilience, reducing reliance on reactive, transactional solutions like insurance.
Build Community Support: Historically, communities provided mutual aid and shared resources. Reviving these practices can create a relational safety net that doesn’t perpetuate fear or dependency.
Embrace Uncertainty: Accepting the unpredictability of life reduces the grip of fear and the need for transactional solutions. Practices like mindfulness and gratitude can foster this acceptance.
Conclusion: A Path Beyond Transactions
Insurance perpetuates suffering because it replaces trust, resilience, and connection with a monetary exchange that is often inadequate in the face of life’s complexities. While it may provide short-term relief, it amplifies fear, creates dependency, and disconnects individuals from true sources of wellbeing.
The path to freedom lies in reclaiming your health and security through proactive care, community connection, and embracing life’s uncertainties with courage and adaptability.