"If you eat too much, exercise too little, drink too much, smoke, take drugs, fail to wear a seat belt, or ignore gun safety, there's only so much a doctor or hospital can do for you. And Americans do all those things, more than other people. And many are uncomfortably aware that self-destructive behavior is most often found among the poor and among minorities. Public policy can achieve only a limited impact against these problems. We'll have to rethink the deeper structure of American food policy: subsidies to corn and soybean growers, the paving over of exurban land that might provide nearby cities with less expensive fruits and vegetables. Ultimately, though, these are decisions that individuals must make for themselves. The present concept of medicalized health care sends some unwelcome messages. By outsourcing the concept of health as something that doctors, hospitals, and now government do for you -- rather than something that depends considerably on your own choices and efforts -- we ask the medical system to do more than any medical system can do. As you consider your new year's resolutions, remember: better habits will benefit not only your family and yourself -- but all your neighbors and countrymen as well."
via dcpca.org
From: "Wednesday, December 30, 2009 | DCPCA Health News Alert."
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