Can we talk?

Health Care Issues

      Looking only at ER's and public clinics, there are expenses to the system that could be reduced if attention was paid to the causes of those problems:
      1. Crime. Drive by shootings, stabbings, muggings all are common occurrences in big cities, and are becoming more common in suburban and modern rural areas. Our culture is a violent one that solves its disputes through violence or uses violence for entertainment.
      2. Gangs. It's cool to use weapons and follow orders, but it's a shock to experience the pain. Gangs cause a lot of the crime and the medical emergencies. Address this issue and reduce health care costs.
    3. Drugs and alcohol. How many stupid things happen to people under the influence? Car accidents, falling, overdosing, dt's, violence increase under the influence. How do you change a culture that puts an emphasis on drinking or legalizing drugs? In fact some areas of the country would fail economically if drugs were banned. Or you could say you're reducing health care costs by letting people run the car into a tree DUI or shooting someone or dying too young from overusing too long.
    4. Domestic violence. We're an angry people, not just at home but everywhere. You shoot someone on the highway because they looked at you wrong. Or drop a rock off a bridge onto a passing vehicle. Or smack your wife around because you had a bad day at work. Or shake the kid because he won't stop crying. Or take a gun into school or a post office or a fast food joint and just start shooting because your life isn't going well right now. People don't know how to deal with frustration and disappointment. They don't respect other people's rights. They don't know how to negotiate. And we're living on a very crowded planet. Address the issue of violence before it gets any worse. which it will, and you'll reduce health care costs.
    5. Smoking. It ages you, it wrinkles your skin, it hurts your lungs. Why do it? Certainly, scientists can find some other use for tobacco to save the farmers, but not have people inhale or chew it? And eliminate the addictive additives. We all know someone on oxygen who just won't give up cigarettes. The doctor will tell them their lungs are like bubble paper after all the bubbles are popped--not good, but still they smoke.
    By the way, I'm pointing out that second hand smoke is not as bad as we've been told, except around infants and toddlers. It may be unpleasant and make your food taste bad, and make your hair smell bad, but second hand smoke is not a big health hazard. And people who already smoke can't blame their lung cancer or COPD on other smokers in the house. That's a bill of goods we've been sold by the government. I'm all for banning it from public places, because it's annoying, not because it hurts us.
    6. Highway safety. Why is everyone in such a hurry? Speed limit means maximum, not minimum. And every 10 years, we ought to take a refresher course in traffic laws and safety. At age 50, we already have AARP safe driving classes for the public, for a small fee, that will reduce your insurance cost if you update it every three years.
    OTHER WAYS to address health care costs would be teaching and encouraging better attitudes on safety. In the workplace, at home, shopping, at church, while traveling, we should automatically think about how to avoid accidents, and what to do in case of emergency. Every family should instruct children what to do in case of break-in or fire and how to exit the house or call 911.
    Preventive care would also help. Clinics with FREE flu shots, where other info about fiber or exercise or blood sugar, etc, could be dispensed. A mammogram mobile unit in poor communities at least yearly if not twice, to get all women an opportunity. A low price of say $50 even if they don't have insurance would help more women over 40 to do this.
    Some areas have "health fairs" where free blood pressure checks, cholesterol tests for $5, and free BMI tests are done. Lots of info is available, and appointments are made for check ups at a discount. You could also have lectures by nutritionists and demos by healthy cooking experts. It's also a good time to encourage blood and bone marrow donations, and to talk about becoming organ donors.