We can control medical care costs if we take charge of our own health

There's

not a magic pill

If you're looking to Washington, D.C., for the answers on how to provide medical care to all without further pile-driving the country into financial ruin, you're looking in the wrong place.

The answer to the nation's medical care problem appeared on the front page of Tuesday's Salina Journal in the form of Bill Borst. Bill, 84, is an Emporia resident and a graduate of Salina High School. He told reporter Courtney Looney that each year, over two days, he rides his bike the 80 miles from Emporia to Salina to meet with former high school classmates. He's due to hit town today, with a couple of relatives riding in with him.

Can't ride 80 miles in two days? How would you know? When's the last time you even straddled a bike?

The answer to our nation's medical care problem lies in personal responsibility for your health: long walks, runs, pushups, swimming, riding a bike and other activities that keep you healthy, happy, wealthier and out of hospitals and doctors' offices.

Could a model built on personal responsibility really work? It already is. Here's a portion of a recent article written by Safeway CEO Steve Burd (full article is at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124476804026308603.html) about Safeway's employee health plan.

"Safeway's plan capitalizes on two key insights gained in 2005. The first is that 70 percent of all health care costs are the direct result of behavior. The second insight, which is well understood by the providers of health care, is that 74 percent of all costs are confined to four chronic conditions: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Furthermore, 80 percent of cardiovascular disease and diabetes is preventable, 60 percent of cancers are preventable, and more than 90 percent of obesity is preventable."

The company focuses on tobacco use, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Those who hit their targets in those areas get health insurance discounts. The results have been dramatic.

Expanding medical care coverage and controlling costs will require some sacrifice -- and that we take charge of our lives instead of looking to Washington for a nonexistent magic pill. It will require us to be more like Bill Borst. Ride on.

-- Ben Wearing

Executive Editor

822-1421

bwearing@salina.com

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William P. says....
Ben, Thank you for being honest, Sheila just has an axe to grind. It is a well known fact that a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits are the best known prevention of disease. Look around at all the unhealthy people going to the doctor looking for a quick fix or a miracle pill to allow them to continue in their lazy, unhealthy lifestyle. Do healthy people get sick? Sure they do, but are much less likely to do so. Is it any wonder that the US has one of the highest rates of cancer and obesity in the world? Do you really think that second hand smoke is going to give everyone cancer? No more than cattle flautulating will give us global warming. We need to get our heads out of the sand of the media and research the truth for ourselves. Good day ladies! OBTW, I heard that there is a well respected Dr. coming to Salina soon to tell us the "rest of the story" on the touted government health care savings package, think it was a Dr. Watson, anyone else know about this?
7/8/2009

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Connie says....
Tell this to patients with ovarian cancer.
7/8/2009

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sheila says....
60% of cancers are PREVENTABLE? It is a good thing that the CEO of Safeway doesn't have to back up this claim with scientific FACT. And DITTO for the Salina Journal. Keep this skewed info on the editorial page and, I guess, you don't have to back it up! GREAT for Bill! Genetics and personal choice in this land of freedom is working for him. So, is the hypothesis being pushed by the Journal, that if you work out, don't smoke, stay skinny, ride a bike, eat only carrots, that you will NEVER get sick or die? Sorry to bust the bubble. ALL people will. Controlling skyrocketing cost of medicine and insurance is up to the greedy people who run drug companies and insurance companies. The rest of this propaganda is simply to get people's attention off that fact! Seen any poor doctors lately? And now we consider the CEO of Safeway a HEALTH expert? Or a newspaper employee? Whatever the benefit to these people is, who can say. MY health is MY responsibility, as is running and minding my own business. Until we completely adopt the Socialist agenda, which we are heading for at breakneck speed, PLEASE Ben, get on YOUR bike, eat what YOU like, but try and report ALL sides of an issue for people to make decisions on. No one is forcing YOU to live according to their rules. It scares me that a newspaper wants to dictate health policy. I'm still hopeful that the paper will do a story on how small businesses are doing in Salina post smoking ban. 8:16 am
7/8/2009

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