Michael Pollan, the amazing real food advocate, was right on in his recent NYT op-ed piece Big Food vs. Big Insurance.
Pollen writes “One of the leading products of the American food industry has become patients for the American health care industry,” citing the following astonishing facts:
- The U.S. spends twice as much per person as most European countries on health, as a study released last month says, due to us simply being fatter.
- Three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat “preventable chronic diseases.” (not all of which are linked to diet, but many, if not most, of them are).
- We’re spending $147 billion to treat obesity, $116 billion to treat diabetes, and hundreds of billions more to treat cardiovascular disease and the many types of cancer that have been linked to the so-called Western diet.
Light at the End of the High Fructose Tunnel
The good news, according to Pollen (and this might be helpful to you if you’re overwhelmed and confused about the healthcare debate in general), is that even under the weaker versions of health care reform being offered, health insurers would be:
- required to take everyone at the same rates
- provide a standard level of coverage
- keep people on their rolls regardless of their health
- erase terms like “pre-existing conditions” and “underwriting” from the health insurance rulebook
Finally, the health care industry would find it in their best interest to work towards reducing rates of obesity and diet-related diseases…unlike in the current healthcare system where there’s more money in amputating a diabetic’s limb than there is in pushing preventative living so he or she didn’t get there in the first place!
Recent Laura Klein Green Club expert guest, author and real food advocate Robyn O’Brien, notes in her Huffington Post blog that the U.S. ranks 37th out of 40 countries (on par with Slovenia) in terms of “health care.” (If you missed the call with Robyn, you can listen to it – and other amazing expert interviews – at your convenience when you join the Green Club!).
As a country, we should – and could – be doing better than that.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-o/disease-driven-earnings-a_b_280539.html
[...] y los Estados Unidos, según manifiesta su promotora, la poetisa boricua Mayra Santos-Febres. Who’s Afraid of Healthcare Reform? The Food Industry! – organicauthority.com 09/21/2009 Michael Pollan, the amazing real food advocate, was right [...]
As a Canadian living with socialized medicine, which is truly wonderful, I don’t think bringing in healthcare reform will change people’s diets. Here in Canada, we still have a lot of obesity and high fructose in our foods. In fact, Canadian ketchup is sweeter than American ketchup.
It is education and lifestyle choices that will ultimately change people’s health outcomes.
I read the Omnivore’s Dilemma and started to look at how pervasive corn is in our ‘natural’ bath and body products.
My company makes castile soap and I have created a video called ” Are You Washing With Corn”- view http://mountainskysoap.com/corn.php
People have to make choices as to what they buy, as that will drive the market, their health and the planet’s overall sustainability.
Hi. I read a few of your other posts and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links?
What youre saying is completely true. I know that everybody must say the same thing, but I just think that you put it in a way that everyone can understand. I also love the images you put in here. They fit so well with what youre trying to say. Im sure youll reach so many people with what youve got to say.