Roots
I am a firm believer that all problems have roots. Treating the symptom of your problem isn’t going to solve that root issues that causes the problem. I blogged a little bit about this at the Character Fitness Blog this morning. Last night a bill was passed in the United State House of Representatives that I think ignores the root problem with health care in the United States.
The bill focuses on the cost of health care and that it just isn’t fair that some people cannot afford to pay for insurance, or that they get denied for having a pre-existing condition. (Notice they haven’t done the same with auto insurance, but you can bet your bottom dollar if I come in with a pre-existing condition of a lot of wrecks I won’t be covered there. But, I digress) That isn’t the problem with health care in the United States. The root of our problem is that we lead un-healthy lives. There, I said it. We are an unhealthy country.
We should treat the root problem instead of just treating the cost issues. This was no more evident than in a tweet I read from @dewde‘s wife, @dewdette:
The problem isn’t that this woman who is pregnant can’t afford health insurance, the problem is that she doesn’t know that its not good for her or her baby to smoke. (Or she doesn’t care.) In either case, giving her free heath care will not solve her real problem: She doesn’t know better.
So, you can throw all of the money you want at getting people access to health care for free, but it still doesn’t address the main issue: You have to TEACH them the right things to do. The money would be much better spent providing everyone with lessons on why your kids shouldn’t eat chicken fingers every night, or why McDonald’s is not “just as good” as cooking at home. People need to learn that health care, just like education, starts in the home. You have to choose to be healthy.
The federal government is not doing anyone a favor by putting a band-aid on the health care system. We have a gaping wound that needs major surgery.
I would even take it a step further and talk about how the smoker chooses to buy cigarettes instead of health insurance. Everyone makes choices when it comes to spending money. Should I buy a cell phone, HDTV, a new car or should I spend my money on boring health insurance?
I completely agree with you. To be honest I think that people should have to prove that they do not have Cable Television, Magazine Subscriptions, Smoke, Drink, or have a cell-phone before receiving assistance for ANYTHING. That includes welfare.
You are exactly right austin.
I think the glaring issue here is the amount of money that we are throwing at the problem. It reminds me of the busy CEO who has no time for his kids so instead he just throws money at them to make them happy. When that kid becomes a teenager and even an adult the only thing they have found is that everything is about them and they really become spoiled. Unfortunately I am afraid the same thing will happen with this reform. We (and I mean we the tax payers are paying for it) throw a bunch of money peoples way but it does not solve the problem of attention and like you said, the unhealthy way we all live.
Word.
I agree we are an unhealthy country. But if it were about information or caring then doctors and nurses would not smoke. And a lot of doctors and nurses smoke. The root causes of health care problems are not just a lack of health, but the way the system was created. It is based primarily on employer provided care in an age of frequent job changes. It based on a per visit charges not based on outcomes. It is a result of disjointed research that does not look at the best methods of care, but instead compares one method against another method without cost or long term results compared. I could go on for a lot longer.
I think we are an unhealthy country but I do not think that smoking or overeating is really the root cause of our heath care problems. I do agree that the health care reform doesn't address that many root causes either. But addressing root causes really requires a long term focus and a wide systemic focus, not one person's smoking choices.
My recent post Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace by Cathleen Falsani
I agree that its a longer term view. I just used one person's choice as an example consequence of this reform. It doesn't address the fact that people make unhealthy choices…so we can either bite the bullet and get serious about the long term needs of health care or we can use this plan that just spends money so we can continue our current trajectory.
Some suggestions about how to get serious?
Start with what we serve as a school lunch. When I was in school we had an entire line dedicated to Pizza and French Fries…EVERYDAY. When my brother was in school they had fast food restaurants INSIDE the cafeteria everyday.
Hold people accountable. You pay more if you weigh more. (Horrible rhyme, I know.) You pay more for car insurance if you have a lot of wrecks…you should pay more for health insurance if you make unhealthy choices.
Teach people to take care of themselves instead of relying on the government for their needs.
I am all for reform of school meals. But like everything else it takes money. Schools are required to break even. So they have to sell what kids will buy. And the amount they get reimbursed for free and reduced meals is laughable. Study after study says it is just not possible to make healthy meals for kids that kids will eat at the budgets that we currently have. I work with an after school program that gets government funding for food based on the same reimbursement rates. They spend an extra 50% just to make the meals good enough that the kids will eat.