The REAL Cause of the Healthcare Crisis...

Healthcare reformers seem to most often blame pharmaceutical companies, the Gov't, insurers, and doctors for the broken healthcare system. From my observations, it appears that the general public created the healthcare crisis, not the system. "The system" is always the result of the cumulative consciousness of the society. The current crisis is probably created by a combination of both, but I think everyday people are the ones most responsible.

Think about it: most people are sick not because they can't get care, but because they don't eat well, don't exercise, and experience too much stress. Then when they get sick they go to the doctor and ask for a pill to make them feel better. Doctor says: "Well, I can give you something to take away the pain, but you should really start eating better and exercising." Patient says, "Yeah, yeah, that's too hard, just give me the pill."

After about 3000 patient visits of the same results, doctors just give up and give their patients what they want. If they don't, the patients look for another doctor who will. Same thing with big pharma companies. Sure, some of their tactics may be greedy or corrupt sometimes, but they are a business and need to stay profitable or their shareholders tank the company.

I think the people to blame for the healthcare crisis, in my humble opinion, are you and me for being lazy and shortsighted, looking for the quick fix. Here's what I think needs to happen:

1. Some legal reform to require food manufacturers to make healthier food. For every sugary, fatty, over-processed, artificial food, there is a healthy alternative that tastes just as good.

2. Require schools to teach children early on about healthy diet and not offer unhealthy foods to the students.

3. Ban smoking. There's just no reason for it. If people need a release from stress let them take anti-depressants. Well, okay maybe this is extreme and I am being sarcastic, but I honestly can't believe they allow cigarettes and alcohol to be legal but marijuana is illegal. They should at least make the taxes so high that a pack of cigarettes is like $20.

4. Health insurance should be cheaper for people who follow certain healthy lifestyle practices on a regular basis. Insurance companies shouldn't be able to discriminate for genetically inherited or fluke issues. But people who develop chronic diseases by gross neglect of their bodies should have to pay more for their indulgence. The pre-tax HSA concept is close to this kind of system.

5. Employers and insurance companies should work together to take responsibility for employees' health by offering yearly health risk assessments and more programs for preventive healthcare.

Those are some of my ideas. Interested to hear what the community thinks.

Amac