Back the point John brought up, I’ll focus on the issue of obesity. I live in the Kansas City area and recently heard a report done by our local Fox affiliate that stated roughly 1/3 of Kindergartners in metro KC schools were overweight or obese. For 5th graders, that number is over 40%. And for adults almost half!!

I hadn’t really thought about the significance of these figures until I started paying attention to the children at the elementary school two of my boys attend (ironically they are in 5th grade and kindergarten), and noticed how many of the kids were overweight (and asking myself how the parents could allow that to happen). I also notice this with the general population in my day to day activities. As John points out, there are numerous health risk factors associated with obesity, and I am sure many of the individuals I see everyday who are overweight are dealing with these issues and are on medications or other treatment plans to deal with these issues.

All that being said, I think overall health and wellness is another important issue (along with the other points) that needs to be considered in this debate. To truly bring down the cost of delivering quality healthcare, we have to identify and bring down those things that drive it up in the first regardless of how we pay for it. I am hopeful that the message sent by the good people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a wake up call for our members of Congress and has paved the way for more well thought out approach to these issues and greater transparency on the debates.

I like many have been on the outside looking
in at the process of healthcare reform with deep disappointment and
skepticism. My assumption is that the politicians will pass a healthcare
bill that they will be both ill understood and ineffective – or worse -
catastrophic in its unintended consequences! In my very superficial
discussions with friends on the topic I have focused my arguments on a
thoughtful interview I heard on NPR that notes that our healthcare reform
is entirely misplaced. The interview with a well regarded
expert notes that a bulk of our healthcare costs are arguably directly
linked to three key areas in the US – obesity, cancer and infant mortality.
I was shocked and embarrassed to hear we are the worst in each of these
categories for a multitude of obvious reasons.

Your letter struck home with its clear message – we have asked the wrong
questions and without the right questions we can not frame or measure the
intended results. How will we measure the success of our healthcare reform
if no one understands the real issues which can only come from thoughtful
dialogue with the right stake holders (consumers and providers)?

While I am regrettably not optimistic about what our political process will
bring, you have inspired me to take a more proactive role. While the list
of questions and issues you describe is long and often overwhelming, I
think we can make great progress if individuals choose one or more of
the issues you note and dedicate their time and resources to improving one
of the underlying issues that seem to be too difficult for politicians to
deal with.

To that end, I have recently been inspired by what my children’s
school is doing in the field of school children’s wellness and fitness. We
need a new model for teaching good nutrition and fitness that will
translate into life habits for our children. If child obesity is the
leading cause of diabetes, heart disease and even cancer, why would we not
champion this as a national priority? The metrics are clear and the
benefits easily measurable on a health, cost and productivity basis. There
is huge resistance from obvious groups but in the end if we can start with
changing behavior with our children then I am sure the special interests
will be forced to follow.

Your letter has inspired me to take more of a proactive role in this piece
of the puzzle. I hope others will choose to break what can be an
overwhelming issue of healthcare into pieces that matter directly to them
and take direct action versus leaving it to our politicians who are in my
view in capable of dealing with the complexities of this issue.

Well done! Thank you…