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 Can we be wealthy and wise if we are not healthy?
by Tom Campbell
February 7, 2008
During election season it is common for candidates to present issues they propose to fix if elected. Certainly there are plenty of them to bring forward this election cycle, but UNC TV is right to stage a health policy debate.
A good starting point might be to decide if our priority is treatment of illnesses or the prevention of them. This decision would go far to help North Carolina develop a health care policy with clear priorities. We have enough data to know who will get sick, what sicknesses they are most likely to contract, and we even know a lot about how to prevent many of the illnesses. For instance, regular preventive dental care will save expensive treatment years later. We can and are preventing childhood diseases through inoculations of children.
The old axiom about an once of prevention being worth a pound of cure could help us be healthier, while at the same time saving money by freeing up emergency rooms and eliminating days absent from work or school. Our health insurance industry has been telling us this for years and many business and other organizations have dramatic success stories to prove it true.
We must also address the problem of as many as one million uninsured citizens in our state, especially our children. Those who are insured pay increased premiums when these uninsured end up in emergency rooms, almost always the most expensive treatment. To be sure this is a complicated issue, but not one without solutions. The proper role for government versus that for the private sector is essential. Dramatically reducing the number of uninsured improves our health and saves all of us money.
North Carolina’s health policy must go further to fix our broken mental health care programs. Understanding that the last few months of a person’s life are almost always the most expensive health-wise, we need to focus more on senior healthcare. No discussion about health can be complete without improving our Medicaid and Medicare programs, both in service delivery as well as cost effectiveness.
A healthy debate about our health policies in North Carolina is long overdue and well worth the time. It should result in a cohesive, understandable, attainable plan to help improve the state of health care in our state. There is little question that we could be much more effective and efficient in public health delivery and administration.
Some can remember Kay Kyser, the Rocky Mount native who was one of the big stars on network radio and the big band circuit, returning to North Carolina to promote the “Good Health” program. The time has come for a similar united campaign to promote wellness, reduce the number of uninsured, and make public health care more effective. |
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