by Dolf

Created on: June 20, 2009   Last Updated: July 05, 2009

Health care reform? That is what President Obama is promising. We all wonder if he will be able to make any improvements to our health care system. The Clintons tried this in the 90s and that effort fell by the wayside. Does America need this? Yes it does. However, any reform plan should not loose sight of some basic problems that need to be addressed. We all have a stake in the outcome of these efforts.

We have raised a generation of Americans that don't take responsibility for their actions and by default - their health. All one has to do is look around and see how difficult it is to view someone who looks like they are in shape and who cares about their health. The first step then is to put good old fashioned exercise classes back into our schools. It used to be called gym class. Now, so few schools have it that it isn't any wonder our children are sedentary and overweight. Our children need to exercise and develop their muscles and bones and physical acuity. We need physical fitness training and objectives back in our schools and more importantly, properly trained fitness teachers to strengthen the next generation. Worried about the cost? Perhaps the elimination of some administrative positions would loosen up funds to pay for the physical fitness teachers and classes. Who among us doesn't want healthier children? This is an area that has been overlooked for far to long.

We need to begin teaching our children about good, healthy nutrition. They obviously doesn't get this at home and thus it will need to be taught in our schools. Even some doctors will admit they don't get much nutritional training in medical school. It is a critical area of responsibility that our children need to understand. The phrase You are what you eat is never more important then right now.

We need to mandate that health care premiums function more like car insurance premiums. In other words, the healthier one is, the lower their respective premium should be. Of course, the table that mandates what healthy is needs to be a sliding scale that adjusts for age and gender. It is significant to consider these differences and doctors need to come up with realistic standards for blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. Once reasonable standards are achieved, individuals can be classified as to their health risk and pay a higher or lower premium. Should a person chose to smoke, be sedentary and/or obese, have a terrible diet, etc; that is their choice. However, they should be pooled into groups

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