Tag Archives: health care

Is There Room for Personal Responsibility in Health Care?

healthy familyMuch to my own surprise, I have largely stayed closed-lipped about the health care bill, town halls, and debates over these last few months. Part of the reason is that I have seen it mostly as a way to get health care to the under-insured and uninsured. Usually, health care is an area where I am vocal about the power and possibility of disease prevention. I want everyone to get on the “prevention bandwagon” and take steps today to be healthier – whether it is a community that secures funding to keep their pool and workout room open, or an employer who invests in “wellness” programs and health fairs, or families that decide to prepare a healthy meal at home and go for a walk together in the evenings.

There’s no doubt that the bulk of the nation’s health care costs are based on personal choices. Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight are the top risks for early death, hitting more than one million early deaths each year, with physical inactivity, high blood sugar and alcohol use not far behind, according to an April study by the Harvard School of Public Health. The price tag for obesity has propelled to $147 billion a year, new government studies show, and smoking costs about $193 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity. (more…)

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Rebecca

Make Fitness a Tax Deduction With the PHIT Act

marathon runnerThe clever acronym PHIT stands for The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2024. The PHIT Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last spring, and is intended to amend the IRS code to allow fitness-related tax deductions for up to $1,000 for individuals, or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly or heads of household.

But, only certain sports and fitness expenses qualify. The PHIT Act defines qualified activities as amounts paid for fitness center memberships, physical exercise programs, and exercise equipment.

Here are some of the expenses that are covered: (more…)

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Jason

Kathleen Sebelius Aims Stimulus Money to Fight Obesity

The federal government’s stimulus plan isn’t just for the fat cats of Wall Street. It’s also being aimed at reversing our country’s obesity epidemic.

kathleen sebelius health careThe Obama administration is going to provide states and local governments with money to control obesity, which will include investing in public transportation to encourage more walking, says Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius says that the majority of the $1 billion stimulus plan appropriated by Congress for disease prevention would go to a CDC-planned initiative to fight obesity, heart disease and other chronic conditions. (more…)

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Jason

It’s Expensive Being Obese

While the obesity epidemic in the U.S. has been well-documented, it hasn’t quite been put this way before: nearly 10 percent of all medical costs in the United States are attributed to obesity.obesity expense

That’s astounding. The price tag amounts to $147 billion a year in direct medical costs – that’s just over nine percent of all medical spending here in the U.S.

“Obesity, and with it diabetes, are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they are getting worse rapidly,” says Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (more…)

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Jason

Americans Still Getting Heavier

overweight woman on scaleWhile worries over the economy and the wars we are conducting around the world dominate our consciousness, we continue to lose a battle on a different front. American waistlines are continuing the dangerous trend of expansion.

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and there’s no end in sight to this dangerous trend. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2024 25.6 percent of Americans were obese. But in 2024, it crept up to 26.1 percent. (more…)

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Jason

Health Data Rights Moves Health Care into the 21st Century

medical recordsSweeping changes are on the way in the health care industry. The details will be hashed out by politicians, but we the people can collectively express our opinions on what changes we are passionate about. If one group of health advocates has its way, our health care will finally move fully into the 21st century.

Health Data Rights, an all-volunteer group, is pushing the health care industry to finally have all of our medical records digitized and fully accessible to the patient. The group’s website, HealthDataRights.org, is designed to help give people a voice in obtaining their rights to take responsibility for their own health information and care. It features a Declaration of Health Data Rights that includes the following: (more…)

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Jason

Survey: More Than Half Can’t Locate Own Heart

human heartJay Leno is famous for his Tonight Show bit where he roves the streets and interviews people, exposing their ignorance on world affairs and random trivia. We get a big kick out of how stupid people are, right? Well, be prepared for a whole new low.

According to a new survey, more than half of people couldn’t locate the exact location of the human heart on a diagram. And as if that isn’t bad enough, nearly 70 percent can’t correctly identify the shape of the lungs. But wait, there’s more: even patients who were being treated for a specific condition involving an organ often didn’t identify that organ correctly.

Here are the results of the survey: (more…)

Posted on June 25, 2023 by Jason

The Secret to Healthy Aging

agingAll the baby boomers are getting older and becoming the face of our population. In fact, it’s estimated that by 2030, the proportion of the U.S. population aged 65 and older will double to about 71 million adults (1 in every 5 Americans!). With this population getting older, there are will be much more diversity than we have ever seen before. This diversity will greatly affect our economy, including unprecedented demands on public health, aging services, and the nation’s health care system.

Therefore, chronic disease prevention should be on the forefront of yours and health professionals’ minds alike. Chronic diseases, sadly characterized with a heavy economic burden due to associated long-term illness and diminished quality of life, all of which add up to an increase in health care costs. Although the risk of disease and disability increases with advancing age, there are ways to help yourself now. (more…)

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Kinsey

Japan Cracks Down on Health Problems

Obesity isn’t just an American problem. We often think that we are the sole carrier of the torch, but it’s a global problem. Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, and Greece are only a few countries that have overweight rates (a BMI greater than or equal to 25) nearing the 70 percent mark, according to the World Health Organization.asian girl

Japan isn’t just “the Land of the Rising Sun”… but health care costs as well. The country is taking extreme measures to curtail expenses. The thing that is confusing is they are near the bottom of any list I see ranking overweight countries (by BMI). They are 163rd on the World Health Organization’s list of overweight (22 percent of the population).

Nevertheless, Japan’s health care costs have ballooned by 68 percent between 1989 and 2006, to $370 billion a year. Without doing a thorough analysis of everything that may be causing this increase in cost, maybe 1 in 5 people being overweight is enough for government officials to take action. (more…)

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Jason

California Bans Trans Fats

Update: The California Trans Fat Ban took effect January 1, 2024.

I swear I’m not trying to turn this into a blog about California… but there’s more health news here on the West Coast.french fries

The “Govenator” is terminating trans fats!

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation banning the use of trans fats in the state’s restaurants. The ban will be “phased in” in 2024. California will be the first state to ban unsaturated fats, which raise the risk of heart disease, while cities like New York and Philadelphia have passed similar legislation.

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Jason