Health care bill shifts the focus to staying well

opinions

April 7, 2010 - 12:00 AM

While debate raged over the public option (which was defeated) and taxpayer-supported abortion (never saw the light of day), dozens of pages were added to the massive bill designed to keep Americans healthier. Here are a few of them:
— Medicare beneficiaries will get free annual physicals. Because many don’t go to the doctor unless they’re ill, annual exams will catch many developing physical threats before they be-come obvious — when they are easiest to treat and cure. More of us will stay healthier as a result and the nation’s health care bill should shrink.
— Medicaid programs in the 50 states will begin to cover prescription drugs and counseling to help pregnant women stop smoking. The Medicaid program, which is jointly funded by the federal government and the states, covers the poor. Because it doesn’t pay the full cost of prescription drugs now, many Medicaid patients can’t afford to buy prescriptions they need and stay sicker longer as a consequence. Pregnant women who smoke tend to have low-weight babies who require more expensive post-natal care; care that is provided by government.
A stronger Medicaid program is part and parcel of health care reform because it will be used to expand coverage to low-income families not now insured.
— The law requires health insurance to cover screening for diseases such as breast and colon cancer. The bill establishes the United States Preventive Services Task Force which will decide which screenings should be covered by all health insurance policies. Breast X-rays and colon-oscopies are among them and the law states that insurance companies cannot “impose any cost-sharing requirements” on policy holders.
John R. Seffrin, chief executive of the American Cancer Society, said the requirement will unquestionably save lives because more cancers will be detected earlier and treated successfully.
The law also requires chain restaurants — defined as companies with more than 20 outlets — to provide a calorie count for every standard item on their menus. When customers ask, they also will be required to tell them how much fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates and proteins are in each item. While critics pooh-pooh these requirements as information customers won’t use, experience says otherwise. Similar posting requirements already in force in New York City and other cities have resulted in customers choosing lower calorie items and smaller servings.
As a consequence, some restaurants have tailored their menus to please calorie-conscious patrons.
To encourage weight loss, exercise and smoking cessation, the law also gives employers tax benefits who reward their workers for joining such programs.
Other wellness incentives include a new federal trust fund that will pay for more bicycle paths, playgrounds, sidewalks and hiking trails that will help keep people out of hospitals and cut health care costs.
Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa is chairman of the Senate health committee. He comments: “We don’t have a health care system in America. We have a sick care system. If you get sick, you get care. But precious little is spent to keep people healthy in the first place.”
The health care bill just signed into law makes a start in that direction.

— Emerson Lynn, jr.

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