With all this talk of healthcare it seems as if nobody is talking about the big elephant in the room.......American's in general are unhealthy.
If we really want to fix our healthcare system, doesn't it make sense that we should be focused on fixing our health first? While some will preach education in regards to curving obesity in this country, the truth is that very few people are unaware of the reasons as to why they're overweight. They simply lack the will-power or motivation to change their unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits. While there are individuals with underlying issues causing their obesity in this country, the reality of the situation is that they make up a very small percentage of obese Americans.
It seems as if we're in this gridlock of trying to provide decent healthcare to every American, while also trying to figure out who's going to pay for it. Rather than playing this back and forth chess match of politics, how about trying to pass some bi-partisan solutions aimed at reducing the obesity rate, which absolutely suffocates our healthcare system?
When I was a kid, everyone smoked. I remember being able to buy a pack of smokes for about a dollar, but right about the time I started smoking, the price of cigarettes and chewing tobacco literally doubled overnight. It then continued to increase in price until LOTS of people including myself decided that they no longer wanted to smoke anymore because of the cost. There was also a cultural change in regards to smoking at that time. It went from being socially acceptable to just something trashy people do in about a 15 year period. When you look at the reduction in smokers that has taken place in the United States, it really is pretty remarkable.
What if we did the same thing with food?
What if the price of junk food literally doubled overnight with a fat tax?
What if you weren't allowed to buy junk food with an EBT card?
What if you had to pay more into medicare without taking a yearly government physical proving you're not obese?
What if we actually overhauled the school lunch system in this country?
What if children had mandatory strenuous exercise in PE again?
What if active video games like xbox connect games or active phone apps like Pokemon go received tax credits as well as government funding?
What if we instituted massive government funded add campaigns geared at changing the acceptance of obesity in the same manor as we did with being a smoker?
Would you support massive legislature aimed at reducing obesity rates in the United States?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rickung.../#65992cb253d7
How the Obesity Epidemic Drains Medicare and Medicaid | The Fiscal Times
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