Health Care

I don't spend a lot of time thinking about our health care system in this country, but this evening I watched Fareed Zakaria's special about it on CNN called  Global Lessons – The GPS Road Map for Saving Heath Care.  Realistically, how in depth can you get in an hour long program with commercials?  But I did think the show was very good ... here he is talking about it (watch ), and it's airing again on CNN next Saturday.  I recommend checking it out if you have the time.

This pic has absolutely nothing to do with the article

After viewing the program and scoping around the Net a little I quickly came to this conclusion:  Diet and Nutrition have nothing on the divisiveness over how health care in the USA should be run.  Holy Jeepers. 

I don't know enough about the issue to make what I'd call anywhere near an informed opinion, but I was struck by a quote in this Lund Report article about Germans being confused over the U.S. Healthcare debate:

"For me as a German, what I cannot understand is that you make the question of health insurance an ideological question.  For me the question of a national health insurance is a humane question. I would like that every person, regardless of his or her age, income, pre-conditions or financial possibilities, be helped if they are sick.  Otherwise you have the famous phrase: Because you are poor, you have to die earlier. And I don’t want that” Zoeller said.

Notice, too, in the beginning of the article that the German public health care system reported a surplus of over 5 Billion (that's with a B) in 2011.  Impressive to say the least.

Not having enough thought in the matter to have a strong opinion, I do have to wonder though - why can't we make it a bit like our educational system?  Everybody gets to go on taxpayer dollars.  Everybody shares the burden of making sure our children are educated.  If you have the means and desire to send your children to private school then knock yourself out.  Similarly, everybody should have basic health care coverage as a humane issue alone.  And like education, if you have the means to better coverage, that should be your choice.

Okay, just sharing a few ideas on a topic that doesn't seem to have a 'best solution for everybody' scenario.  Like the rest of life, right?

Of course, as I watched Fareed's show and read up on the issue I couldn't help but think how the Paleo/Primal lifestyle has the potential to relieve us of a huge portion of our burgeoning health care costs through preventive measures.  Notice I said the potential to.  But think how unhappy 'the system' would be if their profits took a tumble because more and more people became healthier.  On the flip side, think how much happier and productive we would be as a society if we could, in large part, take control of our own health.  Yeah, I'm dreaming again, but check this out.  You know how I'm always saying just lead by example and people will notice?  Exactly that has happened at work ... again.  There's somebody who, within the past couple of days, says she 'wants the speech'.  To be clear, I haven't said boo to her about this lifestyle, she's just picked up on it from my eating habits and my healthy glow.  I do glow don't I?

So that's a nice, if not overdone, ending by me for tonight ... lead by example!