The best way not to encounter America's health care system is not

The words of Don Lemon — “The best way not to encounter America’s health care system is not to have to encounter it.” — carry a tone of irony sharpened by truth. Behind their simplicity lies a profound commentary on the state of modern medicine and society itself. What he means is not a rejection of healing or of the noble profession of doctors, but a lament that the very system meant to care for the sick has become a burden unto itself. His words reveal both wisdom and warning: that in a world of high costs, complex bureaucracy, and unequal access, the surest path to peace is not through the gates of the hospital, but through the doorways of prevention and balance.

In the ancient days, health was seen not as a matter of treatment but of harmony. The philosophers and physicians of old — from Hippocrates in Greece to Hua Tuo in China — taught that a wise person does not wait for disease to appear before acting, but lives in such a way that illness finds no foothold. They understood that true medicine begins not with the scalpel, but with the soul. Don Lemon’s observation echoes this timeless teaching: that in a flawed system, one must take greater responsibility for one’s own well-being, lest one fall prey not only to sickness, but to the machinery that profits from it.

The origin of his words lies in a deep awareness of the American condition — a land of extraordinary medical innovation and equally extraordinary inequity. It is a place where the miracles of surgery and technology coexist with crushing debt and inaccessibility. To “encounter the system” often means to be caught in a web of insurance denials, endless bills, and impersonal bureaucracy. Lemon, who has reported on these realities firsthand, speaks not from cynicism but from empathy. His warning is practical: that while medicine can heal the body, the system too often wounds the spirit and impoverishes the soul.

History, too, bears witness to this truth. In the early 20th century, when public health was neglected and hospitals were few, the great pandemic of 1918 swept across the world, claiming millions. It was not medicine that saved humanity then, but prevention — the washing of hands, the wearing of masks, the simple discipline of care. And later, when nations began to invest not only in cures but in clean water, nutrition, and education, the health of populations rose dramatically. Thus, Lemon’s statement can also be read as a reminder of this enduring law: that the greatest doctor is the one who teaches people how not to fall ill.

There is also a moral undertone to his words — a call for reform. For a society that allows its health system to become something to be feared has strayed from the path of compassion. Health care should be a sanctuary, not a struggle. When people delay treatment because they cannot afford it, when healing is determined by wealth instead of need, the system itself becomes diseased. Lemon’s quote, then, becomes a mirror held up to America — urging its people and leaders alike to remember that the purpose of medicine is not profit, but mercy.

And yet, his statement carries hope, if one listens closely. For in saying “the best way not to encounter it,” he invites us to take power into our own hands — to live with awareness, to eat with mindfulness, to rest with respect for the body, to cherish the simple rhythms that sustain life. Each act of self-care, each choice toward balance, becomes a quiet rebellion against a system that too often treats sickness rather than nurturing wellness. To live well is the truest form of resistance.

So, my children, learn from this wisdom: guard your health not in fear of the system, but in reverence for life itself. Move, breathe, eat with intention. Seek joy as medicine, kindness as therapy, balance as daily practice. Do not wait for the body to break before learning how to honor it. And when illness comes, as it sometimes must, demand not only treatment, but dignity — for the human spirit deserves healing as much as the flesh.

Thus, Don Lemon’s words endure as both warning and invitation: a reminder that the path to health begins long before the hospital, in the quiet choices of every day. If we learn to live with care, if we create systems that value prevention over profit, then one day we may no longer need to fear encountering our own healers — for they will serve not a system of suffering, but a culture of wholeness. Health, then, will cease to be a privilege and become once more what it was always meant to be — the natural birthright of all who live.