John F. Kennedy spoke these words in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961:
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
How does this apply to health care reform?
In the health care debate the question is often asked:
“Is health care a right or a privilege?”
In line with President Kennedy here is a third option:
“Health care is an obligation.”
We are obligated to and owe it to ourselves and to our families to take care of our own health. To eat right, to exercise right, to get enough sleep, to find healthy options to relieve stress, to stop smoking, to drink alcohol in moderation, to develop healthy relationships, to work to maintain an optimal weight, to ensure optimal conditioning prior to engaging in sports, to wear a bike helmet when riding a bike, to wear a safety belt when in a car, to follow scientific-based prevention guidelines best suited to you as an individual, to make one’s health a priority, to develop and manage a health care related budget, and so much more.
Living up to these obligation alone could significantly improve the health of individuals and communities and lower the cost of health care more than any reform option currently on the table. Living up to these obligations could literally change the world.
Beyond the personal obligations articulated above we also have obligations to identify barriers to good health, to identify the root-cause of these barriers, and to stand up in community to break these barriers down.
These barriers include, but are not limited to:
- Environmental barriers to good health such as pollution, chemicals in our foods, food production techniques, and more
- Political barriers to good health such as the politics of stakeholders in the health care system (insurers, politicians, providers) worrying more about themselves than about the greater good of the community
- Financial barriers to good health such as balancing the inability for some to afford high-quality, value-based health care with the human need to give, to earn, to be needed, and to be honored
- Reimbursement barriers to good health such as primary care physicians having to generate 25-30 or more relative value units (as patient services are referred to in the health care world) per day (clearly not based on the good of the patient) and physician practices having to make up financial shortfalls by ordering more and more ancillary services and driving up the cost of care
- Other access related barriers to good health such as cultural, language, education, limited number of high-quality physicians in rural areas, and more
We have voices, we have our energy, and we have our obligation to stand up, to get involved and to make a significant difference (and not wait for our country to do it for us).
What can we do for our country to significantly improve the health of individuals and communities?
Much…starting with living up to our obligation to take care of ourselves and our families and our communities.