Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Great Idea



Mayor Emanuel, of Chicago, has stated that all city employees must enroll in a new wellness plan or pay higher premiums, by about $50. per month.

This is the approach we need. Our healthcare crisis is due to negligence by many of the laws of health that we've known for thousands of years. Many are not disciplined enough to do the work needed to prevent so many of the diseases out there today.

Every American will pay something during the course of their lifetime for the inclusion, or the absence, of effort they put in towards staying healthy. The "pay" may include exercise, dieting, good lifestyle choices, or it may include increased dollars and the loss of quality of life and increased disability. But, in the end, everyone of us will have to pay.

The misfortune is you have to pay for me and I have to pay for you. Not that I don't want to help you, but I can't afford all of you, especially when I'm working hard to stay healthy and you're watching TV and eating twinkies. So, if I have to pay for you, I'll feel a whole lot better about it if you're at least trying.

So, the answer is just what Mayor Emanuel is doing. Pay with effort or pay with money. Either way, my obligation to pay for you will go down, and that's a good thing. For all of us.

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