News
Earlier this month, the budget deficit in the United States reached $9,691,900,258,172 - an all-time high.
Servicing this debt requires around $500 billion annually, give or take a few billion. And like the addict who needs another fix, we continue to spend. This year, experts estimate that an additional $410 billion will be added to the big, fat American deficit. Moreover, because of the reeling economy, less revenue from taxes may cause these numbers to rise.
The United States is currently spending 16 percent of its gross domestic product on health care. This figure will probably expand in tandem with the expanding waistlines of overweight and obese Americans, whose numbers now total two-thirds of adults and one-third of our offspring. Surplus weight results in health problems that translate into additional medical costs. Consequently, the direct and indirect economic costs of the rising numbers on the bathroom scale are sobering. Individuals, insurers, employers, government programs (including Medicaid and Medicare) and county, state and federal governments pay for direct costs. And as most individuals and employers know too well, insurance premiums are rising. The average annual premium for a family of four is over $12,000.
Indirect costs are harder to measure, yet are just as real. They reflect the loss of income resulting from absenteeism, sick days, restricted activity and premature death.
What are the solutions to the health care dilemma proposed by our presidential candidates? The views of the two presidential candidates are summarized in the article "Why Their Economic Plans Don't Add Up" in the Aug. 18 issue of BusinessWeek.
In summary, McCain proposes a $5,000 tax credit to help uninsured families afford coverage. He also proposes taxing employer-subsidized medical insurance. McCain believes that improved management of the health care system will trim costs.
In contrast, Obama's priority is obtaining coverage for the 45 million uninsured Ameri-cans at an estimated annual cost of $65 billion. Like McCain, Obama assures voters that better management of the health care system and cost controls can lower the annual insurance premiums to an affordable level of $2,500 for a family of four.
Both of these candidates agree that the health care system needs attention. Although they disagree on the means, both want citizens to have access to affordable health care. Without being drawn into the merits of either candidate's proposals, we can focus on three fixes that can help us become more fiscally and physically fit (FIT):
F: Fix the medical model. Instead of reimbursing physicians and hospitals $250,000 for a single heart surgery, fund wellness and prevention programs for 1,000 people at $250 each. Instead of reimbursing physicians solely for treatment, reimburse physicians for time spent on prevention and wellness programs.
That's the perspective of Dr. Nick Yphantides, author of "My Big Fat Greek Diet" and the poster child for what an individual can achieve when lifestyle changes occur. Once a big man (he weighed nearly 500 pounds) with an even bigger heart, Dr. Yphantides now weighs 237 pounds. He uses his personal example with his patients and members of the community to promote healthy lifestyles, even though it would be more lucrative to focus on the treatment of medical problems arising from lifestyle choices.
I: Intervene in the lives of individuals to cut through denial. Alabama is experimenting with a stick rather than a carrot. State employees will be fined $25 if they fail to make lifestyle changes that address health and weight issues. Although most of us prefer a carrot to a stick, some of us may need the sting of a stick to wake us up. The cost of gasoline provides a parallel example. When the price of gas became painfully high, more people chose to take public transportation, carpool or bike to work. Similarly, penalty payments deducted from paychecks may trigger decisions to adopt healthier habits.
T: Tackle the issue of fitness as a community. We need to change the environmental cues that encourage us to overeat and underexercise into ones that encourage us to eat more healthfully and exercise regularly. For example, the Board of Health in New York City recently mandated that restaurants post the caloric content of fast food next to the items because it anticipates that informed consumers will make different, healthier choices. This model could serve other communities. Church leaders are encouraging members to adopt healthier habits by promoting the idea that the body is God's holy temple. Followers have a stewardship responsibility to care for their bodies to affirm their appreciation for God's gift of life.
Parents can insist that healthier meals and physical education be provided to children in our schools. Commun- ities can adopt successful group weight-loss programs such as the Nevada County Meltdown, where 1,000 people lost nearly 4 tons in eight weeks. Or communities can introduce Dr. David Sabgir's model, the "Walk with a Doc" program in Lewis Center, Ohio. Each Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Dr. Sabgir and other physicians and medical care providers walk with about 175 to 200 patients, family and friends.
How I cast my ballot once inside the voting booth this November is a private matter. Publicly, however, I have no problem sharing my ideas on how we can enhance the health and well-being of friends, family and neighbors. As a by- product, we can reduce the cost of health care and help lower the national debt.
My own medical cost-containment program is to lead a healthful lifestyle to render expensive medical care and prescription drugs unnecessary. And my tongue-in-cheek goal is to die a natural death without the help of a doctor.
Carole L. Carson is the author of "From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction."
Servicing this debt requires around $500 billion annually, give or take a few billion. And like the addict who needs another fix, we continue to spend. This year, experts estimate that an additional $410 billion will be added to the big, fat American deficit. Moreover, because of the reeling economy, less revenue from taxes may cause these numbers to rise.
The United States is currently spending 16 percent of its gross domestic product on health care. This figure will probably expand in tandem with the expanding waistlines of overweight and obese Americans, whose numbers now total two-thirds of adults and one-third of our offspring. Surplus weight results in health problems that translate into additional medical costs. Consequently, the direct and indirect economic costs of the rising numbers on the bathroom scale are sobering. Individuals, insurers, employers, government programs (including Medicaid and Medicare) and county, state and federal governments pay for direct costs. And as most individuals and employers know too well, insurance premiums are rising. The average annual premium for a family of four is over $12,000.
Indirect costs are harder to measure, yet are just as real. They reflect the loss of income resulting from absenteeism, sick days, restricted activity and premature death.
What are the solutions to the health care dilemma proposed by our presidential candidates? The views of the two presidential candidates are summarized in the article "Why Their Economic Plans Don't Add Up" in the Aug. 18 issue of BusinessWeek.
In summary, McCain proposes a $5,000 tax credit to help uninsured families afford coverage. He also proposes taxing employer-subsidized medical insurance. McCain believes that improved management of the health care system will trim costs.
In contrast, Obama's priority is obtaining coverage for the 45 million uninsured Ameri-cans at an estimated annual cost of $65 billion. Like McCain, Obama assures voters that better management of the health care system and cost controls can lower the annual insurance premiums to an affordable level of $2,500 for a family of four.
Both of these candidates agree that the health care system needs attention. Although they disagree on the means, both want citizens to have access to affordable health care. Without being drawn into the merits of either candidate's proposals, we can focus on three fixes that can help us become more fiscally and physically fit (FIT):
F: Fix the medical model. Instead of reimbursing physicians and hospitals $250,000 for a single heart surgery, fund wellness and prevention programs for 1,000 people at $250 each. Instead of reimbursing physicians solely for treatment, reimburse physicians for time spent on prevention and wellness programs.
That's the perspective of Dr. Nick Yphantides, author of "My Big Fat Greek Diet" and the poster child for what an individual can achieve when lifestyle changes occur. Once a big man (he weighed nearly 500 pounds) with an even bigger heart, Dr. Yphantides now weighs 237 pounds. He uses his personal example with his patients and members of the community to promote healthy lifestyles, even though it would be more lucrative to focus on the treatment of medical problems arising from lifestyle choices.
I: Intervene in the lives of individuals to cut through denial. Alabama is experimenting with a stick rather than a carrot. State employees will be fined $25 if they fail to make lifestyle changes that address health and weight issues. Although most of us prefer a carrot to a stick, some of us may need the sting of a stick to wake us up. The cost of gasoline provides a parallel example. When the price of gas became painfully high, more people chose to take public transportation, carpool or bike to work. Similarly, penalty payments deducted from paychecks may trigger decisions to adopt healthier habits.
T: Tackle the issue of fitness as a community. We need to change the environmental cues that encourage us to overeat and underexercise into ones that encourage us to eat more healthfully and exercise regularly. For example, the Board of Health in New York City recently mandated that restaurants post the caloric content of fast food next to the items because it anticipates that informed consumers will make different, healthier choices. This model could serve other communities. Church leaders are encouraging members to adopt healthier habits by promoting the idea that the body is God's holy temple. Followers have a stewardship responsibility to care for their bodies to affirm their appreciation for God's gift of life.
Parents can insist that healthier meals and physical education be provided to children in our schools. Commun- ities can adopt successful group weight-loss programs such as the Nevada County Meltdown, where 1,000 people lost nearly 4 tons in eight weeks. Or communities can introduce Dr. David Sabgir's model, the "Walk with a Doc" program in Lewis Center, Ohio. Each Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Dr. Sabgir and other physicians and medical care providers walk with about 175 to 200 patients, family and friends.
How I cast my ballot once inside the voting booth this November is a private matter. Publicly, however, I have no problem sharing my ideas on how we can enhance the health and well-being of friends, family and neighbors. As a by- product, we can reduce the cost of health care and help lower the national debt.
My own medical cost-containment program is to lead a healthful lifestyle to render expensive medical care and prescription drugs unnecessary. And my tongue-in-cheek goal is to die a natural death without the help of a doctor.
Carole L. Carson is the author of "From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction."
