Saturday, September 12, 2009

Responsibility






Using the treadmill at the gym is always interesting. I am not much of a TV watcher but each treadmill has it's own TV and there are three up hanging from the ceiling.





ON a really perfect day, one is tuned to FOX NEWS, one to CNN, one to MSNBC and I can tune mine to the FOOD NETWORK or WIFE SWAP. The greatest part is comparing similar stories form the different slants of our media. (I prefer BBC myself)

So today, as I am walking 3.9 MPH on a 2.2% incline, they are discussing, YOU GUESSED IT, Health Care reform.

So:

Should obese children be sent to "Fat Camps" to keep health care costs down? Apparently they are looking at this in the UK.

It brought tears to the eye of the FOX news girl.



I have to tell you. As a nurse and health care professional for 35 years, I have watched this issue with interest and sadness. It is about responsibility. It is also about EDUCATION. It is NOT economic as such (since lettuce and black beans actually cost a lot less than a Big Mac). WE are each responsible for our health or lack of it within the confines of availability to health care and education.

But it is about PREVENTION and familial habits. 30 years ago, we tried to educate parents and kids about Nuitrition and no one was very interested. Now we have the results. It has to start somewhere.

There are people who receive bariatric surgery and/or stomach stapling for being grossly obese and it is paid for by insurance. I pay for that. WE all pay for that. That is not the responsibility I choose. Seems unfair somehow.

No comments: