Wednesday, August 26, 2009
♥ Healthcare reform reply
As for healthcare reform, the united states is not near the top of the list of healthiest countries. However, we rank #11 in the rank of world's healthiest countries. We also now have over 50% of the population on prescription drugs. Changing our poor health status does have something to do with insurance, however, none of it is going to WORK unless we change the paradigm of what health is.
Health as defined by the World Health Organization: a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The way to do this is to change the focus from, "Oh doc, I don't feel well! Make me feel better." to lifestyle changes that are focused on moving toward a state of health and staying that way. Prevention, although I don't think the word fits entirely, will do.
For example, Finland, used to have a very high death rate from heart disease. The government encouraged healthy living, doubling fruit and vegetable intake and decreasing smoking. Now they are ranked the third healthiest country in the world.
How about shifting the focus from drugs and symptom based care, to healthy lifestyles. A few suggestions:
1) no drug commercials on television
2) no food/alcohol commercials on television
3) decrease pollution by getting rid of plastic bottled drinks (not good for you anyway, as other countries have already figured that out)
4) incorporate exercises into daily activities, such as workplaces that encourage daily stretching and get the blood pumping, rather than sitting on our butts all day long.
5) emphasize proper spinal hygeine (our whole body runs on input from our brain, which is protected by our spine). Teach people from a young age how to take care of it, and we would have better working bodies!
6) lower stress levels - more information on helping people lower their stress is key.
I am not saying we need to do away with medical doctors. They are necessary, but not to the extent we use them. There are a lot of things we have lost over the years with all our technological advances. Artificial ingredients in our foods (which only stress our systems more), drugs (which can be helpful in some instances, but are HIGHLY overused thanks to advertising and lack of responsibility for our own health. Laziness, if you will.), lack of fresh air, exercise, and positive social experiences. ALL of these things are important to health.
Want to lower healthcare costs and make this country a healther place at the same time? THIS is the way to go. We need to INSPIRE people to get up off their couches and MOVE! We need to motivate people to socialize and create a more positive atmosphere, so they will WANT to look and feel better. Eating foods that are closer to nature would be a great place to start. Encourage people to shop primarily the perimeter of the grocery store, rather than all the boxed/canned food aisles.
In addition to the shift of focus to lifestyle change instead of "healthcare", I would add the ability for people to choose if they want to see a medical doctor, chiropractor, traditional chinese medicine doctor, naturopathic doctor, or homeopathic doctor, etc. The minimum requirements should be that these doctors are able to diagnose and refer a patient to another physician as necessary.
People should be able to CHOOSE who their primary care doctor is, and not pick from a list of people who are "in network" with an insurance company. I use my chiropractor as my primary care physician, and have for years. However, Tricare does not pay for it. They don't pay for chiropractic unless you are active duty military, and only with a referral for back pain by your MD. Choosing a physician should not be dependent upon financial agreements between the physician and insurance company. This is ridiculous!
I understand costs vary, so then set an "average cost" for various services and put it on a sliding scale according to location. Then offer to cover that average amount based upon the doctor's location (so patients don't get a higher amount for living in one area, but see a cheaper doctor and make money off it/or the opposite), and if patients choose to go to someone who is over that amount they pay the rest out of pocket. Since obviously costs go up every so often, these figures would have to be re-calculated every so many years to re-evaluate the averages. But really, the key is LIFESTYLE CHANGES and CHOICES.
♥ Live life with love.
6:16 AM
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6:16 AM
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