| Held
on October 16th, 2000 in Jackson, Michigan at the Holiday Inn,
Congressman Nick Smith chaired a healthcare forum entitled americans
discuss health: Conversations in Michigan. This was
the final forum in a national healthcare dialogue series.
Local health affiliates met to discuss both regional, national,
and physical fitness health issues. Mr. Tom Johnson
provided an opening address on the state of health care today.
A panel discussion, moderated by Ms. Kathy Schmaltz, focused on
the uninsured, Medicare, and seniors’ health. This was
followed by a brainstorming session with an interactive eForum
format that used electronic keypads to gauge Michigan values in
healthcare. Keynote speaker Mr. Charles Kuntzleman
concluded the forum.
OPENING ADDRESS: THE STATE OF
HEALTH CARE TODAY
Mr. Tom Johnson, Assistant Professor of Physical Education at
Albion College and a member of the Governor’s Council on
Physical Fitness, delivered the keynote address. Looking
at ways to address the problem of “overweight youth,”
Michigan is using the concept of a “healthy weight.”
As the percentage of children with unhealthy weights has
increased 10%, an emphasis is now placed on the K-12 population.
Because changing behavior is easier when young, health costs
could be reduced in the future if measures are taken now.
While no successful models for school programs exist, it is
known what does not work. For example, using height and
weight charts, as well as ideal body shape charts, make children
feel bad about themself. Calorie counting and weight loss
as the goal are also not helpful. Participation and
treatment must be optional.
Educators also must be taught
proper ways of administering testing and present information and
treatment options. Some of these include mandating that
all children be tested, singling none out, and recognizing that
being healthy, rather than body shape, is important. Also
no diagnosis should be given, but instead strategies of
improvement. Feedback must be given with a suggested
treatment plan.
Schools also need to promote
physical education, dietary education, and a healthy social
environment. For physical education, it must be made
easier for children to be active. Kids four through seven
have a developmental must be physically active. Making it
safe for kids to walk to school again would help. More
athletics and community activities are needed along with
physical education over unstructured recess. Finally,
denial of recess time is improper punishment. In terms of
making necessary diet changes, it must be recognized that kids
do not like healthy food. It takes longer to make and does
not taste as good. Developing healthy menus that move away
from ala carte items like pizza and fries would help.
Vending machines, too, may be unnecessary. Teachers and
other school officials must set good examples for healthy
lifestyles in order to create a healthy social environment.
PANEL: Challenges Facing the
Uninsured, Medicare, and Seniors’ Health
Panelists:
Ms. Susan Sharkey:
Ms. Sharkey pointed out an easy way for reducing healthcare
costs. With a higher smoking and obesity rate when
compared to the rest of the country, Jackson needs to make it
“cool” to be healthy again in order to cut healthcare costs.
Michigan’s strong regulation of insurance left Ms. Sharkey
urging regulation reduction. Healthcare professionals,
too, she stressed needed to use science research to avoid
unnecessary and unrealistic treatments. She also slighted
both the Democrat and Republic Medicare prescription drug
coverage plan. Saying the Democrat proposal is too
government oriented, and that the Republican plan is too
market-oriented, a need for a market-based solution becomes
necessary.
Ms. Lola Peterson:
Ms. Peterson stressed the need to address Medicare problems now,
including intergenerational warfare and fixing the pay-as-you-go
system. Peterson saw the need for a strengthening of
primary care doctors. In terms of prescription drugs, she
pointed out that Michigan has the EPIC plan for drugs but that
many seniors are unaware of its existence. And, finally,
while America’s healthcare system needs revamping, in many
countries where socialized medicine makes drugs cheaper, new
drugs often take much longer to become available.
Ms. Lisa Tinsley:
While the uninsured remains a problem, Ms. Tinsley stressed the
long-term troubled future for Medicare. Expanding it now
could leave it completely failing and, thus, some seniors
completely helpless. Adding prescription drug coverage to
Medicare, too, could also lead employers to replacing their
superior private insurance for retirees. All in all, it is
litigation costs that are driving up all medical costs.
Ms. Jeannine Johns:
Ms. Johns criticized that many seniors do not choose part B on
their Medicare plan because they do not realize how much the
government contributes. Education, therefore, is crucial.
Ms. Johns also noted what workers with private insurance, those
who are poor with Medicaid, and many within the working class
are left without help. Government solutions typically take
years to work through.
Ms. Denise Clement:
Ms. Clement saw the need for people to take responsibility for
their own health. Educating people on a family basis was
key. She suggested doing so with healthcare planning just
as financial planning has been treated in the past.
Healthcare must be a continuing process, not just an issue
addressed when one gets sick. Free healthcare also, Ms.
Clement suggested, leaves people losing sight of their costs and
making poor decisions. Not realizing what their
employer’s burden is and a lack of not structuring a tax
credit that would contribute to the problem are two other
important issues noted.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Chair of the Governor’s Council on Fitness, Mr. Charles
Kutzleman, delivered the keynote speech on “Personal
Responsibility in Healthcare.” He pointed out that half
of all people die of heart disease. 12% of this is due to
lack of exercise, 19% to diet, 24% to smoking, and 5% because of
alcohol. Overall, then, lifestyle choices significantly
affect one’s health. While 75% of fatalities due to a
heart condition can be prevented, only 4% of our healthcare
budget is aimed at prevention. Specifically, one quarter
of Jackson’s population does not exercise even in moderate
amounts, i.e. 30 minutes of walking daily. This can lead
to dramatic reductions in health disease, diabetes, strokes,
arthritis, and certain forms of cancer.
Smoking, high cholesterol, and
high blood pressure are the three traditional factors identified
with heart disease. A sedentary life, however, can be just
as related to heart disease as any of these factors. Also
important, Mr. Kutzleman urged, was having a positive attitude
that people can be made to change. In 1963, for example,
54% of people smoked. Today only 25% of the population
smokes. Articulating the benefits of exercise, as like the
harms of smoking were exposed will get people to exercise.
In the end, 25% of Michigan children are at risk for being
overweight and 11% actually are overweight. If half can be
prevented from being overweight adults, Michigan will save about
$100 million annually. |
