I have a really novel idea for healthcare reform. We can start by subsidizing fruits and vegetables instead of our current practice of subsidizing animal products and GMO crops.
You see our tax dollars go to support/subsidize certain food industries- in particular animal agriculture and processed foods. Subsidies help create a surplus, and they lower the cost to the consumer thus ENCOURAGING consumption of the subsidized products. This is the reason why soda is cheaper than a bottle of water. This is the real reason why unhealthy food is much cheaper than healthy food. In fact, organic farmers have to pay a premium to prove that they do not use toxic chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics and growth stimulants just to name a few of the conventional practices.
That would be my first simple solution.
Next, let’s not only pull subsidies from these food industries, let’s put a tax on the junk food to help pay for the health issues that these foods cause. For those of you about to yell “Nanny state, I do not want my govt telling me what I can or cannot eat!!!” Remember, if you eat the Standard American Diet (which consists of heavy on animal products and processed foods, and light on the plants) you already are eating exactly what the gov’t wants you to eat. Subsidies are just a back door way of encouraging your consumption. And it obviously works.
Subsidies covertly encourage us to eat more crap. Let’s subsidize food that increases our health and well-being, and let’s tax (think of this as discouragement) the food that makes us sick and overweight.
Then, let’s focus on prevention. Real education to real prevention of our most common chronic disease (Cardiovascular, cancer, type 2 diabetes).
Which means that pharmaceutical companies need to get their noses out of our medical schools! It means we need to be educating doctors about nutrition and health, vs educating them about drugs and disease.
Since 7 out of 10 of us will die of preventable chronic disease, and 75% of our health care costs got to treating these preventable chronic diseases, I think we could accomplish much by being honest with people about food and health.
Now these ideas are not even on the table in Washington. There is too much at stake. If we stop eating the crappy food, and stop getting sick, the food industry, the animal agriculture industry, the pharmaceutical and medical industries will lose profits. I am no economist, but even I can understand that.
What I know for sure is that the status quo is not working for us.
So, like everything else in this world, it starts with you, and me. It starts with our choices. As consumers we matter, we can make a difference, and we do make a difference. We can reform healthcare by standing up for our health, and the health of our children. But it means becoming more informed, and making health a priority in our lives.
This is a HUGE part of my programs, and why I consider it a movement to change how we eat and live. I hope to help change the world one mom at a time.
Never doubt that a small group of informed, inspired, and powerful women can transform lives and change the world. Indeed, they are the only one’s that will. Join my movement today!