I was a mile into a recent treadmill workout when coverage began to air of President Obama's healthcare forum at the White House. As I watched, I found myself gradually gaining speed, growing more and more upset.
His plan to provide affordable, accessible healthcare for all Americans is strikingly flawed. It demands fundamental change from insurance companies, hospitals and healthcare providers -- and fails to address what healthcare consumers themselves should do.
During Obama's campaign, the soon-to-be president spoke frequently of sacrifice and self-responsibility. When it comes to healthcare, however, he's failing to hold people accountable for their own unhealthful behaviors and the overwhelming financial effect they have. He needs to insist that everyone play a part in solving our national healthcare crisis.
Although people frequently perceive ill health as something that happens to them, they're often responsible for making themselves sick.
The most obvious example is smoking. Smoking dramatically increases the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke (along with a number of other diseases), and is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Despite the known risks, more than 40 million Americans light up every day.
Bad habits
Smoking is just the tip of the iceberg. Americans indulge in a host of unhealthful activities irrespective of their effect on health. Overeating has practically become a national pastime, and the percentage of people who are overweight or obese has soared to more than 60%. Being overweight not only increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, but also osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease and endometrial, breast and colon cancer.
We not only eat too much, we eat all the wrong things. Fewer than 25% of adults consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and fewer than half of children get adequate amounts of calcium in their diet. Soda has emerged as our national drink; recent surveys estimate that roughly 40% of young children and more than 60% of adults drink soda each day. These sugary drinks provide little nutritional benefit, and studies suggest that they lead to unintentional weight gain, increase the risk of diabetes and undermine bone strength.
