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Your Personal Healthcare Reform
Filed under Thoughts from an AcupuncturistOct 17I’d like to switch gears for a moment and forgive me if my opinion is to loud but I’m angry. In an attempt to be a more educated and responsible citizen, I used my Saturday morning searching the internet for a clear and unbiased explanation of what the government is really planning to do with our health care. My efforts ended in both disappointment and disgust with our system for their inability put it’s people in the know. At first I got mad, really, really mad. Now I’m going to write about it, not any more about how I’m mad, but how important it is, now more than ever, to take our health into our own hands.
You can make whatever decision you want about health care. If you are among the fortunate who can afford a great plan, or were able to keep your jobs during the great unemployment debacle of ‘08, kudos to you. But if you are among the 30 million Americans who don’t have health coverage, or if you’re like me, an average individual who pays an overpriced premium with a ridiculous deductible and all out of pocket, this post goes out to you. No, I take that back. This post goes out to everyone!
Health care reform should start in your home, not on capital hill. Sure we need solutions for those who are old, or sick, or dying. But what about you? The intentions of this blog are and will always be about prevention. I have made it my goal to bring to you all the information I can about living healthy lives and not making it a full time job to do so. Let the congress and the senate fight over higher taxes for insurance companies and public health policies. Give yourself the power to decide your fate and make the efforts to be healthy and stay healthy. This means taking easy steps to prevent disease and, if you are able, to bring awareness to others.
Prevention is key. I can’t stress this enough. We don’t know what will be available to us tomorrow and we can never predict an illness. You could get hit by a car and the whole point would be moot but what if you live another 50 years? Wouldn’t you rather those be 50 years of health and not of worry over whether your meds will be covered or if you’ve met your deductible?
Again, I have to apologize for the over-expression of my opinion and while you may be better able to argue in favor of the government’s reform, it is an inarguable fact that this country needs to start living healthier and for two important reasons. The first: so we can have fulfilling lives without such a concern about where the money is for health care, and two: to save money for others who are not as fortunate.
Let me give you an example:
- -Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States.¹
- -In 2009, heart disease is projected to cost more than $304.6 billion, including health care services, medications, and lost productivity.²
- -In 2003, approximately 37% of adults reported having two or more of six risk factors for heart disease and stroke (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, current smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity).³
- -A healthy diet, 30 minutes of daily exercise and eliminating and reducing harmful risks such as alcohol consumption and tobacco are proven to greatly reduce the risk for heart disease.
Now, how can you argue with those facts? By taking charge of our health, we can help to eliminate some major concerns over health care. I, like you, would rather have peace of mind. I certainly can’t argue with that. The government must help our country and provide us with a better system, but until that day comes, it is up to us to take care of our selves.
Thanks for listening. I feel better now and I wish to all of you a better today and a healthier tomorrow.
Resources:
¹Kung HC, Hoyert DL, Xu J, Murphy SL. Deaths: final data for 2005. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2008;56(10).
²American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2009 Update. Dallas; AHA:2009. Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation. 2008 Dec 15.
³Hayes DK, Greenlund KJ, Denny CH, Keenan NL, Croft JB. Disparities in multiple risk factors for heart disease and stroke, 2003. MMWR. 2005;54:113–116.
Your Personal Healthcare Reform
5 Responses to “Your Personal Healthcare Reform”
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Tweets that mention » Your Personal Healthcare Reform Cultivate Your Wellness -- Topsy.com said on October 17th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
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Here’s a new update from The Havard Health Publication…
“If the estimated 88 million Americans older than 14 years of age who are now considered inactive became regular exercisers, medical costs in the United States would decrease by as much as $76 billion. ”
HOLY MOLY!
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Cultivate Your Wellness » Blog Archive » Who will Bail out your Diseased Heart? said on November 11th, 2009 at 9:35 am
[...] like to follow-up on my post entitled Your Personal Health Care Reform. I said it then and I’ll say it again…We need to now more than ever start looking [...]
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Thank you for your thoughts–great post. I share your same experience in finding no clear explanation of the reform and sensing that instead of being frustrated yet again by government, that I should just focus on what I can do to promote health in myself and others.
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My new experiment is turning frustration into productivity. This post was the prototype. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the comment. Read you soon.
