I bet you all now think I have really lost it. Most of my friends know I am a fence sitter in politics. I am neither Democratic nor Republican. I go for who I THINK is the best candidate for the job or the best between the 2 I have to choose from. I never pay attention to what party they are from because I personally don't care. I do care about a candidate's thoughts and feelings and what their track record is on issues I consider important. I am not easily swayed once I choose. (That's the Irish in me if you talk to my mother and the German in me if you talk to my father and because I am a woman if you talk to my equally stubborn Italian husband).
Yes, I am listing one of my favorite things about Toronto as Mike Huckabee's Keynote speech that he gave at the seminar. Shoot me but I like him. The following is a synapses of his speech written up by Dr. Marybeth Crane and says it more eloquently than I ever could.
The former governor from Arkansas inspired and encouraged the APMA to discuss more than health care reform but to think of revolutionary health reform in the United States as the answer to our health care woes. What does he mean by health reform? He encouraged the physicians to stop thinking about fixing the health care system. The system isn't broken. It is actually considered the best in the world. If you start discussing socialized medicine overseas, you will quickly realize that most wealthy foreigners would rather have surgery or cancer treatment in the US than in their own countries. We don't need to fix the system; we just need to work on unhealthy American habits. The combination of obesity, lack of exercise and smoking, lead to most of our chronic health problems in the US. The system is overwhelmed by chronic disease! Why not come up with a system that encourages healthy living, therefore decreasing chronic disease and actually increasing productivity in the country?
Mike Huckabee knows a lot about unhealthy living and its consequences. Several years ago he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and was told he was now in the last decade of his life. His physician outlined what death by diabetes looked like and encouraged him to take control of his future. He lost an incredible amount of weight, starting eating better, and even started running for exercise. Multiple marathons later, he is no longer a diabetic and is healthier than he has been in years. Mike Huckabee took control of his health and wants every American to experience this life-changing heath makeover.
Why do most Americans have unhealthy habits? Is it laziness? Is it hereditary? Is it social? Actually it is a combination of all of these things in most people. We need to encourage healthier lifestyles and teach our children the importance of healthy choices. Multiple studies have shown that regular exercise including around three hours of aerobic exercise and an hour of strength training each week leads to decreased depression, diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis. This has been well documented, but most Americans are not listening.
How can we encourage healthier life styles and off load the currently overwhelmed health care system? How about an overhaul of the health insurance system with incentives for healthy choices? I do not believe in penalizing people for obesity or smoking, but how about incentive discounts for a healthy BMI, non-smoking and regular exercise? Just like when car insurance companies give discounts for safe driving records. We could even put an accumulative healthy point system with sliding scale premiums for regular checkup and prevention programs.
Think of what this type of system would look like. The current reforms of the health care system being discussed will lead to a two tier system where the wealthy will have the best care and the rest will be stuck with the socialist model which has been shown not to work in many, many other countries. If we focus more of health reform instead of care reform, we can decrease the load on the current system, decrease health care expenditures and actually have a healthier, happier, and more productive society. Political parties aside, call or write your representatives and let them know you are unhappy with this rushed consideration of the most important legislation in decades. Let us not quickly put in place a program doomed for disaster that will significantly decrease the standard of care in the American health care system. Let us uplift the health of the American people instead.
I actually had the pleasure and honor of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Huckabee in person after his speech since his limo was waiting for him at the same place my husband and I were waiting for a cab. I felt honored!
