The Health-Fitness Tsunami Right Around the Corner
Perhaps these days we've been more concerned with the issues dealing with the financial administration and budgeting for healthcare, but there is another issue with healthcare that may be more critical to budgeting for it....that would be if most of any of us can meet the standard for heath in the first place. If over two-thrids of Americans are already obese or overweight , that statistic would mean that a lot of people are already under a "bell curve". It means by statistics obesity is becomine the "normal" if we continue the approach we are going at it. Which leads me to my qeuestion to all families, "does just having coverage" mean that we will have a healthy individual or state, if the measures to maintain health are not instituted regularly?
Let's take a look at a neighborhood that builds the latest state-of-the art fitness center. With there membership fees they keep up the buildings manitenance, stock up on the latest snack bar energy bars, keep the chlorine in the pool and jacuzzi balanced. But, when the memebers come to the club they mostly eat at the snack bar, get in the sauna to talk politics and get into the jacuzzi and still complain by saying that they are still too fat and that they need to charge higher rates for membership for more new equipment. What kind of "fitness program" is that? Just by having a very nice "system" of health doesn't necessarily mean the right things are being done by those who subscribe to it unless they see the benefits of there actions driving down costs for the facility in the first place.
Not until you elect yourself or you contract a "fitness consultant with a fitness program to help you burn the fats by walking those30 minutes daily, do some water aerobic, calisthenic stretches, play tennis or swim; you might continue only going to the sauna and jacuzzi and feel thats enough.
We need several things here to happen to make our healthcare system pactical and effective . Create a package that drives individuals or companies access to fitness regularly, teach quality nutritional support, have prevention education, inspire with behavior modification and motivation to keep it going, discuss personal repsobility for and individuals on blood pressure, cholesterol, LDL, HDL , glucose, glycemic index and HBA1c. Let individuals become more aware of and what their BMI( body mass index), BMR(basal metabolic rate), WHR(waist hip ratio), (WC) Waist Circumference) are.
Just because one is given healthcare coverage doesn't necessarily guarantee that individual will stay healthy by participating in healthy behaviors that prevent driving up costs. Then the cost of companies who supply employee health might want to consider wellness or worksite health promotion where either onsite or off site fitness can be implemented to put prevention into place. Studies by fortune 500 companies have seen to their delight that by keeping a healthier employee the results to their bottomline improves with less sick days, more commradrie, healthier worker, less use of worker benefits, more identification with the company(espirt de corp),and worker dedication and work hour losses are reduced.
This is what the "implementation of a fitness and prevention program or coverage" can do for most Americans and the nation's bottom line.Obesity is the largest epidemic in any era of America's existence and threatens to become a "health bomb" if it isn't defused by some of the recommendations listed. If the lack of effective labor continues with a rising rate of chronically ill worker population, the "state of the health" due to obesity and it's related illnesses will become almost a national security issue. The morbidity and mortality from obesity and overweight read just as horrific as it does in any war we have fought. But, in this battle there is no "official" triage, we just keep sending them back out to fast food restaurants, poor physical education funded schools with poor lunches with no prevention education.
Presisent Kennedy mandated physical education and started something in schools by rewarding kids for how many push-ups, pull-ups or laps around a track they did. This can be implemented for walking, jogging,or a persons checking their own BMI, BMR, WHR, WC,body weight, body fat blood pressure, and heart rate so as to improve them.
If the implementation of a "prevention program or coverage" alongside acute/chronic care insurance isn't a part of our greater healthcare extended program it will not matter how many new bells and whistles we have, if no one is blowing them and clanging them.Many actuaries already count the number of Americans who are obese or overweight as having a pre-existing condition, that should tell us something!
Enough, now on whether you are a "blue dog", "red state" or "blue state", "log cabin", liberterian or Independent or with Tea or Coffee party's;health has no party affiliation and neither does morbidity and mortality.
One million Americans die due to heart disease(A COST OF $1Trillion USD), 26 million have diabetes(costs over $200 Billion, Nearly a million die from various cancers(direct cost of $1 Trillion). These are all related or caused by obesity, the disease that causes the toxic fat supply for disease. Obesity itself causes over 300,000 deaths yearly and costs nearly $350 Billion USD.Obesity causes lung disease, gall bladder disease, arthritides, male and female fertility problems, endocrine and immunity problems.
Today the pediatric age group is threatened with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease. What will their future look like if they have an insurance card in their wallet to get checked for a cold, but have a BMI of 30 or 35?
Marcus Wells, MD is a prevention health and lifestyles advocate and the author of "Fit Family" , the book . More is available at www.fitfamily360.com.
Dr. Wells has worked for the USHHS, USPHS, US Commissioned Corp and the National Institutes of Health. He has a Master's from Emory University with emphasis in Environmental and Occupational Health
Let's take a look at a neighborhood that builds the latest state-of-the art fitness center. With there membership fees they keep up the buildings manitenance, stock up on the latest snack bar energy bars, keep the chlorine in the pool and jacuzzi balanced. But, when the memebers come to the club they mostly eat at the snack bar, get in the sauna to talk politics and get into the jacuzzi and still complain by saying that they are still too fat and that they need to charge higher rates for membership for more new equipment. What kind of "fitness program" is that? Just by having a very nice "system" of health doesn't necessarily mean the right things are being done by those who subscribe to it unless they see the benefits of there actions driving down costs for the facility in the first place.
Not until you elect yourself or you contract a "fitness consultant with a fitness program to help you burn the fats by walking those30 minutes daily, do some water aerobic, calisthenic stretches, play tennis or swim; you might continue only going to the sauna and jacuzzi and feel thats enough.
We need several things here to happen to make our healthcare system pactical and effective . Create a package that drives individuals or companies access to fitness regularly, teach quality nutritional support, have prevention education, inspire with behavior modification and motivation to keep it going, discuss personal repsobility for and individuals on blood pressure, cholesterol, LDL, HDL , glucose, glycemic index and HBA1c. Let individuals become more aware of and what their BMI( body mass index), BMR(basal metabolic rate), WHR(waist hip ratio), (WC) Waist Circumference) are.
Just because one is given healthcare coverage doesn't necessarily guarantee that individual will stay healthy by participating in healthy behaviors that prevent driving up costs. Then the cost of companies who supply employee health might want to consider wellness or worksite health promotion where either onsite or off site fitness can be implemented to put prevention into place. Studies by fortune 500 companies have seen to their delight that by keeping a healthier employee the results to their bottomline improves with less sick days, more commradrie, healthier worker, less use of worker benefits, more identification with the company(espirt de corp),and worker dedication and work hour losses are reduced.
This is what the "implementation of a fitness and prevention program or coverage" can do for most Americans and the nation's bottom line.Obesity is the largest epidemic in any era of America's existence and threatens to become a "health bomb" if it isn't defused by some of the recommendations listed. If the lack of effective labor continues with a rising rate of chronically ill worker population, the "state of the health" due to obesity and it's related illnesses will become almost a national security issue. The morbidity and mortality from obesity and overweight read just as horrific as it does in any war we have fought. But, in this battle there is no "official" triage, we just keep sending them back out to fast food restaurants, poor physical education funded schools with poor lunches with no prevention education.
Presisent Kennedy mandated physical education and started something in schools by rewarding kids for how many push-ups, pull-ups or laps around a track they did. This can be implemented for walking, jogging,or a persons checking their own BMI, BMR, WHR, WC,body weight, body fat blood pressure, and heart rate so as to improve them.
If the implementation of a "prevention program or coverage" alongside acute/chronic care insurance isn't a part of our greater healthcare extended program it will not matter how many new bells and whistles we have, if no one is blowing them and clanging them.Many actuaries already count the number of Americans who are obese or overweight as having a pre-existing condition, that should tell us something!
Enough, now on whether you are a "blue dog", "red state" or "blue state", "log cabin", liberterian or Independent or with Tea or Coffee party's;health has no party affiliation and neither does morbidity and mortality.
One million Americans die due to heart disease(A COST OF $1Trillion USD), 26 million have diabetes(costs over $200 Billion, Nearly a million die from various cancers(direct cost of $1 Trillion). These are all related or caused by obesity, the disease that causes the toxic fat supply for disease. Obesity itself causes over 300,000 deaths yearly and costs nearly $350 Billion USD.Obesity causes lung disease, gall bladder disease, arthritides, male and female fertility problems, endocrine and immunity problems.
Today the pediatric age group is threatened with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease. What will their future look like if they have an insurance card in their wallet to get checked for a cold, but have a BMI of 30 or 35?
Marcus Wells, MD is a prevention health and lifestyles advocate and the author of "Fit Family" , the book . More is available at www.fitfamily360.com.
Dr. Wells has worked for the USHHS, USPHS, US Commissioned Corp and the National Institutes of Health. He has a Master's from Emory University with emphasis in Environmental and Occupational Health
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