Comments on: Healthcare Reform or Health Insurance Reform? http://takingthehelloutofhealthcare.com/blog/2009/09/12/healthcare-reform-or-health-insurance-reform/ The new blog of F. Nicholas (Nick) Jacobs, FACHE, author of Taking the Hell Out of Healthcare Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:28:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Stephanie http://takingthehelloutofhealthcare.com/blog/2009/09/12/healthcare-reform-or-health-insurance-reform/comment-page-1/#comment-664 Stephanie Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:14:33 +0000 http://takingthehelloutofhealthcare.com/blog/?p=1370#comment-664 I was prepared to tell you that after hearing Dr. Nash speak recently, I began to look at things a bit differently. For example, my first thought when I walk through the group of employees taking a smoking break outside of my building is: 'How much is this costing us?' Or my best girlfriend, who continues to smoke despite my nagging and her children's badgering. I think differently about the obese guy sitting next to me (but really somewhat on me) at the Phillies game. After reading Carl's response, maybe I need an attitude adjustment. Perhaps instead of wishing these folks would change their detrimental ways, I should be wishing them a happy, but very short life. I was prepared to tell you that after hearing Dr. Nash speak recently, I began to look at things a bit differently. For example, my first thought when I walk through the group of employees taking a smoking break outside of my building is: ‘How much is this costing us?’ Or my best girlfriend, who continues to smoke despite my nagging and her children’s badgering. I think differently about the obese guy sitting next to me (but really somewhat on me) at the Phillies game. After reading Carl’s response, maybe I need an attitude adjustment. Perhaps instead of wishing these folks would change their detrimental ways, I should be wishing them a happy, but very short life.

]]> By: Carl http://takingthehelloutofhealthcare.com/blog/2009/09/12/healthcare-reform-or-health-insurance-reform/comment-page-1/#comment-657 Carl Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:22:50 +0000 http://takingthehelloutofhealthcare.com/blog/?p=1370#comment-657 The debate over increasing the health of the population and it resulting in reducing health care costs has been tossed around many times in the past. Changing behavior is one of the hardest things to do, ask any therapist. Our culture does not "reward" healthy behaviors. When it comes to our health, unless we are sick, we are in deniel that we will ever get sick. Combine that with the ecomomics of health care and the cost of health care, and you may be fighting an unwinable battle. There was a study out a few years ago that showed raising the tobacco tax cut the number of people who smoked more than 75%. The thought was that this would save health care money. However, what they found was that these people lived longer and required more health costs later in life that exceded the cost of health care they would have received if they continued to smoke and died early. So where does that leave health care reform? Not in the hands of the consumers. It does not seem to matter if we are a healthy or unhealthy country, the solution really depends on how we pay for our health care. Insurance for everyone seems like a positive step in that direction. Carl The debate over increasing the health of the population and it resulting in reducing health care costs has been tossed around many times in the past. Changing behavior is one of the hardest things to do, ask any therapist. Our culture does not “reward” healthy behaviors. When it comes to our health, unless we are sick, we are in deniel that we will ever get sick. Combine that with the ecomomics of health care and the cost of health care, and you may be fighting an unwinable battle.

There was a study out a few years ago that showed raising the tobacco tax cut the number of people who smoked more than 75%. The thought was that this would save health care money. However, what they found was that these people lived longer and required more health costs later in life that exceded the cost of health care they would have received if they continued to smoke and died early.

So where does that leave health care reform? Not in the hands of the consumers. It does not seem to matter if we are a healthy or unhealthy country, the solution really depends on how we pay for our health care. Insurance for everyone seems like a positive step in that direction.

Carl

]]>