Health Care

The U.S. is currently judged 38th in health care quality and 1st in cost in the developed world. The rising costs of healthcare and Medicare are not sustainable and must be resolved. Through education and changes in behavior, we can move from a prescription-based health care system to a prevention-based health care system which will yield greater efficiencies and a healthier, happier citizenry.

We need to establish a basic national health care system to guarantee services for those at the lower end of our economic spectrum in order to provide access to basic health care services for all citizens. Options for health care insurance and specialized care should be maintained and accessible for those who choose to pay for additional health services. A component of an established universal national service program could provide staffing for community clinics to make the public system less costly to operate.

Incentives for healthy life styles can have a dramatic effect on reigning in health care costs. For example, instead of employers paying increasingly high premiums for employee health insurance, an option to deposit a set and predictable amount of money into a Health Savings Account tied to high-deductible health insurance would encourage employees to maintain healthier life styles and improve productivity in the work place. People with chronic illnesses could have their critical health care met through the public clinic system, but could also participate in the Health Savings Account option through employers and state agencies by meeting benchmark health criteria.

Our K-16 public education system must also do a better job in teaching, modeling, and promoting life-long health and fitness through various curricula!