The Healthcare Debate

   Written by Lawrence Laryea

The Healthcare Debate seems to be a complex issue that many people in the U.S think will require an immense amount of resources to solve. But is it really? If we look deeper into the reason why we got to where we are now, we start to see that our problems and the solutions to our problems are really much more simple than we thought they ought to be. The disingenuous Left thinks the centralized control of healthcare will yield the proper and intended results, one example being their mindless support for "Obamacare". While the crazed and reactionary Right thinks the answer lies in the "competition of medicine", or in other words, the sophomoric concept of a Free Market solution. Sadly Medicaid and Medicare take part of the blame for our "Healthcare Crisis."  We are a fat and unhealthy nation. Yet we never asked ourselves why we spend so much money ON healthcare, yet we are as sick as ever.

But why are we so sick as a nation? Well there are a few things I would like to point out, then give what I believe to be their solutions.

Personal Accountability
Many Americans seem to think the answer to this current crisis is insurance for all. And sure I happen to think that's a good thing. But health insurance does not equate to good health, contrary to popular perception. The truth is Americans are obsessed with sugar and processed foods, and lead unhealthy lifestyles. Foods laden with GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, many preservatives that one cannot even mention, different chemicals and additives. We are nutritionally-deficient. We don't eat good food. No amount of health insurance is going to address this issue. It is going to take personal accountability. There are many obesity-related diseases.
These have come from the mindless consumer culture we have so embraced from the Elite. But wait, one may say people these days just don't make enough money to afford healthy food. Sure, that may be partly true. But many of those same people will however find a way to get their pack of beer or their cigarettes.

Solution: There is a rise in farmer's markets. This indicates that more people are taking accountability, and paying more attention for what they put in their body. Ultimately the healthcare crisis will not end until we decide to stop eating all this junk that render us ill. Degenerative and cardiovascular diseases are an epidemic in this country for a reason.

Special Interests and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
As in the words of Dr. Andrew Paul, "Good health makes a lot of sense, but it doesn't make a lot of dollars."  One can also safely say that the FDA lies at the heart of the healthcare crisis. For example, go to a drug store, pick up prescription drugs and look at the ingredients. No doubt if you have watched T.V you have seen ads that urge you to avoid or discontinue use of a drug that has reportedly been causing such things as birth defects, and so on. Just remember that the FDA allowed it, and all those other countless drugs on the shelf that pose dire side-effects that pose a direct threat to your life. You wonder why many people use these drugs for a very long time yet never heal? The Food and Drug industry are not there to make food or medicine. They are there to make money. This is capitalism at it's worst. Remember that, every time you buy a prescription drug, in hopes that your ailments may be relieved. Most doctors are trained only to perform surgery or prescribe you harmful drugs manufactured by corporations. You will never get better. You will keep coming for more, steered with false hope. If you are fortunate enough, you will develop an addiction. The FDA masquerades as our watchdog, yet thousands of people die from prescription drug use every year. In a New York Times Editorial, titled  "Bad Call on Farm Drugs," the FDA  denied "two longstanding petitions" that called to limiting the feeding of antibiotics to farm animals, a practice that "poses a serious risk to human health." And this is supposedly the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing the entry of new drugs into the market, and allegedly bases it's decisions on public safety. one can certainly dig deeper and discover a conflict-of-interest in the FDA. When you step inside a supermarket or pharmacy, you see so many things that are bad for you, things I personally wouldn't classify as food. That's because the very basic resources like food and medicine we consume on a daily basis have been "corporatized." There are certain interests that profit off our plight, and unless we become more aware, we can never confront them. It will be an endless, replenished process of illness--drug consumption--death.

Solution: The solution is to boycott these pharmaceutical drugs, and replace them with a much better alternative. Vitamin supplements can be a start. However that does not mean that exactly all supplements are what they are said to be. My best advice is if it is advertised on TV, don't purchase it. But for the first time in our human history, our nutrition can come in tablets on a shelf. Take advantage of that. Your doctor will never inquire of your daily diet when you report a health discrepancy. They will simply write you a slip to go to the pharmacy or propose surgery. Some "doctor," huh?  It is time for people to become people again, and to stop being patients.

Stress from too much work, and little leisure time
Americans work too much. Let's face it. We are a busy country. With so much work and little leisure, is it a surprise why we are an unhealthy nation? A person who is tired after a long day's work will simply want to unwind, crack open a can of beer and turn on the TV. However a person who is still energized after an ample amount of work hours will have the energy for physical activities and leisures. With the way we work and little time we get to ourselves, such as to cook a strong and healthy meal we can eat with the whole family, be active in community projects or personal ones, or whatever it may be, it shouldn't be a wonder that we lead unhealthy lifestyles. As we are always on the go, we demand cheap and fast food. The long hours also contribute to a breakdown of our immune system as we get little rest. Most people I talk to often tell me they are tired. You are not supposed to be tired in the middle of the day. You are supposed to be alert and awake, with energy coursing through your being. Americans have little leisure time. More and more, we are seeing that vacation is becoming a privilege of the Elite, rather than an economic privilege our grandparents enjoyed. And rightfully so. Leisure is a source of well-being, and a producer of culture.

Solution: The solution is quite simple. Mass Struggle. For the economic rights that once made us an envy of the world. Just as our ancestors took to the streets to demand fair wages, shorter working hours and vacation time, so we can once again re-stage their struggles for economic fairness.

The "Free" Market will not solve our healthcare problems. Nor will centralized government oversight. 40+ million are uninsured, that's a tragedy. But it is unfair to couple those people to a broken and inadequate system that keep them sick. It will be like playing a cruel joke. Rather we need to provide real and alternative solutions. There are undoubtedly more than I have mentioned. But these are the ones I find most impressing. Drugs can have a proper role, such as in pain management from things like accidents and so forth. And the government can certainly play a proper role. But we have gone about things the wrong way; much is obviously designed to be that way. If the current health trend continues to progress it will no doubt reach an untenable point where it will become a national embarrassment (if it sin't already) and may even pose a national security threat (e.g fat soldiers). So what do you think?