Consciousness-Based Education - Maharishi University of ...

consciousness-based education and governmentfive years would be $667.9 million. If only 50% of the high health careutilizers in Medicaid were to learn the Transcendental Meditation program,the savings would be $14.7 million in the first year and $334million for five years. It is clear that this program would result in hugesavings to Medicaid: approximately $30 would be saved for every dollarinvested in Transcendental Meditation instruction, at an average costof instruction of $1000 per subject in this income group.The above analysis indicates that implementation of the TranscendentalMeditation program for even a modest proportion of themembers of the hypertension and high utilization groups of Medicaidparticipants would reduce the District’s Medicaid costs substantially.This cost-benefit analysis provides an example of the enormous costsavings that can be realized by adopting this effective prevention strategy.Extending this analysis to the national level indicates that proportionalsavings would accrue to the national health care budget if thisprogram were implemented on a national scale.Conclusions and Future Research DirectionsOn the basis of the scientific research already conducted on the TranscendentalMeditation program, as well as the cost-benefit analysesprovided above, we suggest that national health initiatives should makeprovision to reimburse training in proven prevention-oriented programssuch as the Transcendental Meditation program. Intermediateoptions might also be considered, e.g., targeting hypertensives and highhealth-care Medicaid participants, as in the example cost-benefit analysesabove. The available research suggests that, ultimately, the mosteffective long-term approach would be to make the TranscendentalMeditation program an integral part of health education programs inthe nation’s schools.In addition to the Transcendental Meditation technique, MaharishiAyur-Veda encompasses several other proven, cost-effective preventionmethods that could also be included as part of a comprehensive healtheducation program. Innovative health education programs, such as theTranscendental Meditation interventions described above for minorityand elderly populations, could empower individuals to take fullerresponsibility for their own health, rather than giving the physicianthat responsibility, as is currently the case in society. Future research378