You either pay a little for your health now or a lot more later

Plus, last chance for Club Members to enter the October raffle!

I’m Brandon Wilson. I am constantly working toward improving my mind, body, and spirit using various ancient techniques and cutting-edge biohacking tools and devices. I want to be healthy, but not at the expense of being happy. This simple idea is what it means to be wellthy.

First time reading? Let’s get you in the club.

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I am #Teamcoffee, and I know Starbucks has many loyal customers (though I am not among them). One morning, I witnessed a consultant almost have a nervous breakdown when the Starbucks app went down, and she had to deign to stand in line to place an order.

I pick on Starbucks lovers because they usually have no problem paying for a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino® (or any other concoction) multiple times per week. I ran some numbers.

Let’s say someone buys four Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos® per week. In my neck of the woods, the price is $6.74 x 4 = $26.96/week x 4 = $107.84.

One month of a Be Wellthy Club membership is cheaper and far more nutrient-dense (for the mind)

Some people don’t bat an eye at paying over $100 per month for their favorite beverages, but they will give me the stink eye if I suggest spending an equivalent amount (or less) for supplements, gadgets, or services that can help improve their health.

For example, let’s look at essential supplements that would benefit most people. You can buy a bottle of BEAM Mineral capsules for $45 (use code BRANDON51920 to make it $36) and a bottle of Vitamin DAKE for $41.95. Both bottles will last two months. That’s about $39/month for minerals and critical fat-soluble vitamins. Or you could buy six Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos®.

By the way, what’s in one of those Frappucinos®? From the Starbucks website:

“Nutrition” in Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino® grande (from Starbucks website)

Are you as shocked as I am about the amount of sugar? For comparison, here are some sweets with the equivalent amount of sugar:

• 6.5 Krispy Kreme original glazed donuts

• 5 cups of Lucky Charms cereal (at least it’s gluten-free)

• Three Snickers bars

• Three 7.2-oz bags of Skittles

• Three Little Debbie Nutty Bars

• One 20-oz CocaCola

Processed foods are full of sugar and other harmful ingredients. No wonder population health is severely declining, and healthcare costs are skyrocketing.

Healthcare Cost Statistics

• Out-of-pocket healthcare expenses cost the average consumer $1,142 annually, according to the Milliman Medical Index.¹

• The average three-day hospital stay is about $30,000.²

• The average US employee paid $1,763 out-of-pocket before reaching the deductible.³

• Over 23 million people in the US owe medical debt.⁴

• The US spends $1,432 per American on prescription drugs.⁵

I have a 23-year career in the health insurance industry, but you don’t need me to tell you that the system is broken. Furthermore, health insurance has conditioned people to expect to pay very little for their health. The model of health insurance is like walking into a grocery store where there are no prices. You can put whatever you want in the shopping cart and leave, and you’ll find out how much you owe in a couple of weeks. Over the last decade, things have changed somewhat with high-deductible plans and health savings accounts, which have incentivized people to scrutinize healthcare costs.

There are signs that healthcare is becoming more consumer-driven. Companies like Mark Cuban’s CostPlus Drug Company have helped people save thousands of dollars on prescription drugs. Amazon’s One Medical offering aims to provide greater access to care. CrowdHealth offers a subscription service where members help each other with healthcare expenses. You may be asked to contribute a maximum amount each month to assist others, and when you face a substantial medical expense, the crowd will help you. CrowdHealth is not insurance; it is worth researching for people who do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance and cannot afford insurance through the exchange.

Health insurance has a purpose. It covers you when you have a catastrophic event, just as car insurance covers you when your car gets totaled because some nut ran a red light and T-boned you. But just as regular car maintenance keeps your vehicle in tip-top shape, we need preventive health maintenance to keep our bodies running smoothly.

Good health does not have to cost a lot of money. I offer free suggestions every week in the Daily Habit. Optimal health will require spending some money, and the amount depends on your starting point and goals. The key takeaway I have for you this week is the answer to a straightforward question: How much is your health worth to you?

A healthy man wants a thousand things, a sick man only wants one. —Confucius

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The Daily Habit is where I share my habits related to the fundamentals: sleep, diet, physical activity, mindfulness, and stress management.

Websites like NeedyMeds and GoodRx can help you save money on prescriptions. If you have a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA), the FSA Store is an excellent resource for finding eligible products.

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Refer Subscribers, Earn Perks!

With the new referral program, you can earn perks like a complimentary Club Membership and other goodies by unlocking three tiers:

• Get a 1-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club for 3 referrals.

• Get a 3-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club and receive a book from my personal library for 6 referrals.

• Get a 6-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club and a goodie bag prize for 15 referrals.

By the way, if you’re already a Club Member, the free months will be added to the end of your subscription. You'll get credit for new subscribers (free or paid) when you use the referral link below or the “Share” button on any post. Send the link in a text or email, or share it on social media with friends.

While signed into your Substack account, you can visit the leaderboard that shows you how many referrals you have.

To learn more about the referral program, check out Substack’s FAQ.

Thank you for helping get the word out about Be Wellthy!

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Last week’s answer

Be Wellthy Club entrants: Matt B., Scott S., Scott L., Steve H., Ariel E., Tobias L., Renata B.

Raffle prizes are for Be Wellthy Club Members only. Club members can email bewellthy@substack.com with the correct answer to each week’s brain training and be entered into a monthly raffle to win one of two prize packages every month. I do respond to every email.

This week:

I have two puzzles for you. Answer either one for one raffle entry or both for two raffle entries.

1. Add three consecutive letters of the alphabet to the group of letters below, without splitting the consecutive letters, to form another word.

   DY

2. Determine the pattern to find the missing number.

   28 47 85 ___ 218 313 427

See the answer.

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Two years ago, I wrote about my experience with a brain training headset called BrainTap. It’s been my go-to device for meditation, and I certainly would have had a much more difficult time establishing a daily meditation habit without some assistance.

Keep your loved ones informed with the most up-to-date information about wellness by sharing this newsletter.

1. https://www.milliman.com/-/media/milliman/pdfs/2024-articles/5-20-24_mmi-milliman-medical-index_2024.ashx

2. https://www.healthcare.gov/why-coverage-is-important/protection-from-high-medical-costs/

3. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1249186/average-us-worker-s-annual-deductible-for-single-coverage/

4. https://www.kff.org/health-costs/press-release/1-in-10-adults-owe-medical-debt-with-millions-owing-more-than-10000/

5. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-prescription-drug-costs-in-the-united-states-compare-to-other-countries/