fixing healthcare with some personal responsibility

Ok, we know healthcare costs are getting out of control. Not just in the US, but everywhere. LINK 2011

So here’s my plan for setting rates based on some personal responsibility:

1. Pay a normal price if you want, but if you want a better deal, agree to have your blood pressure (and what else???) tested. If it is too high, you have the chance to redeem yourself by going on an EAT TO LIVE diet for a week (a month?) — maybe literally have someone feed you meals from Phase I of EAT TO LIVE.

2. And then get tested again. If there is no change, then OK, that is your baseline even and even if it still too high, oh well, you are not going to be charged more. But if it is now low, that’s the new benchmark. And if you slack, then tough, you can pay the higher rate.

3. Everyone needs to get retested every 6 months let’s say. Like a dentist cleaning.

4. Repeat.

So it’s totally up to you if you want to eat / exercise as you wish. But it no longer punishes people with healthy bodies. Or look at it how you want… most people will continue as normal, others will choose to “sacrifice” to save some money.

Just an idea. Wouldn’t that work just fine? Combine with KEAS at the workplace if you want. Paying less is “positive reinforcement”. Plus not dying is nice. But the immediate $$ savings is more REAL I think.

SEE ALSO:
- Book: Dr. Joel Fuhrman: EAT TO LIVE
- KEAS — the gameification of health
- GYM PACT: fitness plan members pay more if they don’t work out

Died today of an apparent heart attack. He was 65.

These sorts of headlines are why I am now eating mostly “beans and greens” as some like to say. A plant-based diet.

There are three(?) doctors that I am aware of who have worked with heart-bypass patients who afterwards have reversed heart disease using a plant-based diet. Sure I eat ice cream sometimes and chocolate and pizza and such. But not much. I’ve lost approximately 30 pounds in about 1/2 year with like zero effort. You could too!

Google up : esselstyn ornish fuhrman “eat to live”

I heard Esselstyn (the father) on NPR a few years ago. LINK