The most pressing topic in American politics today is healthcare. To begin with, we now see that many of our cultural habits are, in fact, unhealthy. Alcohol, fast foods, sugars, fats and chemicals are being consumed at every level of society and we see illnesses ranging from cancer to diabetes to heart failures being attributed, at least partially, to the lifestyle choices of our people. We also have genetically engineering foods that are showing up in the food chain. We see the effects of pollution in respiratory diseases. The aging population is confronting American families with more seriously ill elderly people, many of whom become totally dependent on others for years.
Because the national government has a role in helping maintain the basic health services to the poor and low-income, through Medicare and Medicaid, the funding of national health-related initiatives is critical, and growing. According to Sen. Edwards campaign, over 47 million Americans U.S. are without insurance, and those people tend to use emergency rooms for their care. I think that the government must play a very large roll in making sure that our health care system is robust and effective.America needs to invest in the infrastructure of clinics and hospitals. There should be a national commitment to build thousands of local health clinics that serve smaller populations based around neighborhoods.
We need to help fund the education of health care workers. There is a serious shortage of nurses and the private sector isn't keeping up with the demand. As baby boomers retire, the number of nurses is expected to drop very dramatically, so this is a time when a national initiative to partner with industry to bring in new trained medical workers. Currently, the cost of education is so high and the academic standards are so restrictive, that it's hard to see how the "free market" will bring in the workforce needed. And nurses aren't the only ones in short supply, the number of physicians is dropping as well. Again, the costs of education for doctors is tremendously expensive, and we need a national commitment to bring in lots more people and from many social-economic backgrounds so that they can serve their own communities.
There is a pressing need for health education and the public sector ought to be involved. Unfortunately, the "illness industry" is a lot more lucrative than the "healthy life style" industry, and the government ought to be far more involved in promoting and educating our populace. The concepts of preventative treatments and changing lifestyle issues such as more frequent doctor visits, and making them more affordable, are needed in order to bring the people into the social contract of taking responsibility for their own health. We also need to boost research in alternative medicines and diet and healthy living options and to put this information into the education system, beginning in the earliest grades, so that we raise a more responsible and educated populace. These topics can and should be part of the curriculum of public education, which is another area that the government is involved in.
Just one small example of this would be to examine all the contracts for soda and junk food machines that are on practically every college campus in America. The school boards know that obesity and malnutrition are a problem, but walk into any college bookstore and you are hard pressed to find any "real food" being sold. Because so much public money goes into our public schools and universities, it seems that a national drive to improve the food offered on these sites could be in the public interest.The funding of single-payer insurance, or "universal coverage" and other plans are being debated among the Presidential candidates. One thing is certain, the federal and state and local governments are all going to be pressed to address our national health issues, and it's going to take a lot of resources. But if the national makes this a commitment, we may see how "an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure."
2 comments:
I definately agree that Health care is most certainly one of America's most pressing issues. And unfortunately, due to the war with Iraq, the media has not been covering this issue which certainly and immediately needs to be addressed.
Health care is very important i agree, However when it comes to obesity, we are the fattest country. This is because this entire country is based on "Fast Food" it's not that people are not educated enough, It doesn't take much thought to know whats good to eat, and whats not. Basic common sense is all you need.
However I can also understand that sometimes people don't have time to cook at home, the money to afford organic meals everyday, and thats why we rely on fast foods. What the country should do is Attack these company's such as Macdonald's,pizza hut or any other fast food franchise, and FORCE them to use better quality types of grains and meat. But that will never happen because these company's are businesses of course, and higher quality of foods would mean higher costs. Fast food is just quick cheap un-healthy type of food that unfortunately people sometimes rely on.
P.S next time anyone goes to Macdonald's ask for their new special it's called clogged arteries, with a delicious side order of possible heart attack! yummy! ^_^
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