Rethinking Our Approach to Health.

It has been some time since I have been talking about the health crisis America is facing. It is without a doubt that the situation is getting worse. The constant drip of new studies being released that show the rise of obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, etc are like the sound of the fire alarm going off in the house, but to one which we simply cannot wake up. We hear it, but we are overcome with the toxic fumes in the room already. The house is on fire everyone, wake up!!!

The cost associated with chronic disease is enormous. I have already talked about this before, but I think it needs reminding. Three out of four dollars spent on or related to healthcare goes towards chronic disease. That's approximately $1.5 trillion out of $2 trillion. This is enormous, even compared to the financial bailout/rescue bill that was passed to stop the economic collapse. Yet, according to some, they are related. People without insurance are facing bankruptcy because of medical bills. Medical bills are causing people to lose homes, lose their jobs, a lot of it preventable.

Now, during this election, there are at least two ideologies on how to address the issue on the table. We can empower people to take responsibility for their health, or we can help guide people in preventing these diseases through encouraging lifestyle changes. Those advocating personal initiative are opposed to government intervention. This is in the belief that individuals know what is best for themselves, a sort of free market for health. Unfortunately, that is already the status quo as it is today, one that is recognized as a complete failure. So far, individuals left to decide for themselves have chosen to increase obesity and its accompanying illnesses. Americans are currently overwhelmingly obese or overweight, with only a third of the population who are not. The country is dangerously imbalanced. Not only has our housing bubble burst, so too will our health system because of our ballooning waistlines.

This free market system has one major flow: the lack of accountability. People have abused the system, and have passed on the cost to those who are living responsibly. The costs that rise from poor decisions are passed on to other as higher healthcare costs, higher taxes, and our healthcare system and businesses at the brink of collapse.

What is required is a real honest discussion on how to tackle this issue. What we need is to face our food addiction, our idleness in our physical as well as our emotional lives. We need someone to take control, or rather show leadership, to tell us the ugly truth that we can't tell ourselves: that we are addicted to food. We need to be "locked up" in our rooms to endure the withdrawals from our addiction and end our addiction to food. We need to have a system in place that encourages and rewards the right decisions, and holds those who choose an unhealthy lifestyle accountable for their decisions.

As this election is down to its final stretch, the signs seems to suggest that the country is looking for the later solution. As the recent national poll released this week shows, the public rates healthcare as the No. 1 issue that effects them personally. The publid is both knowledgeable about chronic diseases but also yearning for a stronger forceful government role in dealing with the issue. One of the candidates has already stated that addressing chronic but preventable diseases will be essential to reduce the burdens on our healthcare system and on our budget. It still remains to be seen if change will come on Nov. 4th.