It's About Health

Although elected officials focus most on making sure that all Americans have affordable health insurance and care, President Obama was right that, if we do not control overall health care costs, our economy will collapse. To control costs, Congress' number one priority must be to improve the health of Americans in order to reduce the demand for health care. 70-75% of our health care costs arise from preventable chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, which result from obesity and unhealthy lifestyle patterns, such as overeating and smoking. Even infectious diseases are preventable with good hygiene practices.

In focusing on health, Congress must be more aggressive in incenting healthy behaviors in all health plans. It makes no sense that life insurers can charge non-smokers less than smokers, but health insurers cannot.

Physicians should be paid for keeping people healthy, not for medical procesures for which they are paid regardless of results. Congress should look at all federal policies, including school lunch programs, transportation funding, and environmental regulations to see if they maximize population health.

Finally, Congress should direct states to get their policies and practices aligned with a national goal of improving overall American health. State and local governments determine whether we have parks, healthy grocery stores, pharmacies, bicycle paths and sidewalks in our communities, and whether those communities are safe from violence, drug-dealing, and excessive alcohol use. State and local taxes also drive behaviors. For example, tobacco taxes on a pack of cigarettes range from $2.58 in New Jersey to $.07 in South Carolina. The higher the tax, and the higher the cost of cigarettes, the lower the percentage of teenagers who are tempted to start smoking.

We need to make health improvement our highest priority, and then health care cost containment, access, and universal affordable insurance availability will be achievable.

By Michael Critelli  |  June 5, 2009; 6:46 PM ET  | Category:  Health Care Reform , Prevention , Public policy
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