Where’s The Care?

It’s down to the wire on the vote to ram ObamaCare through the Hallowed Halls. And, while there are lots of things wrong with it, the worst is rarely mentioned. We mostly hear about its staggering cost and the political takeover of an industry that amounts to 16% of the economy. Don’t get me wrong. These things are killers of healthcare and very, very bad. But, they’re not the worst.

The worst thing about ObamaCare is that it really doesn’t care all that much about our health. Like the lady in the old commercial might ask, where’s the care? Pretty much nowhere. The bill is huge so you’d think care would be in there somewhere. But, no. It’s just a massive monster of regulation, mauling every aspect of the process. Complex and convoluted, it misses the point of healthcare, which is to care for our health.

ObamaCare should focus on what makes us unhealthy and provide a cure for that. We’re not talking rocket science here. If we’re healthier, our healthcare costs go down all by themselves. We can skip the heavy tax burdens, rationed services and poor quality that large-scale government control is all about.

That last part is especially true with a bill that lowers the price of healthcare for millions, but does nothing to lower the cost of providing it. Hello, Washington – if the cost to provide healthcare cannot be covered by the price paid for it, the system will implode. Unfortunately, the ObamaCare enstranglement is a super highway to more consumers and fewer providers. If you think that’s a win-win, take a peek inside the Medicaid world. At the hospitals that have shut their doors. At the doctors losing their stethoscopes.

We’ve known for a long time what makes us unhealthy – bad eating habits, sedentary lives and cigarettes. Even the White House estimates that “over one-third” of healthcare costs are due to preventable diseases and disabilities caused by those three factors. Experts in the field place the cost closer to 50%.

But, of the estimated $460 billion dollars that ObamaCare will cost us each year, only $1 billion of it is allocated to promoting healthful living. 1 out of 460 is less than ¼ of 1 percent. It’s a fraction so small it can barely be seen under a doctor’s microscope. There’s no care in that.

So, how do we get healthy? Let’s start by taking the fat spoons we’re born with out of our mouths and shoveling in some fruits and vegetables. And how about getting off the couch and taking a walk or a run or lifting something heavier than a beer can?  And put those coffin nails down before they put you under.

The government’s role in this? Health education of course. And how about some stronger medicine, too? Like fines for overloading the rest of us with costs that are preventable. Lose some weight so we all don’t have to wait in line. Stop smoking before we’re all choking on restricted choices.

If ObamaCare can tax tanning salons, it sure can fine people who drive the cost of healthcare through the roof. Especially since we’re all paying for the consequences of their behavior now.

See you in the mirror.