New Year's Resolutions Could Save U.S. Health Care

WASHINGTON - EntSun -- While most Americans adopt New Year's resolutions primarily to help themselves, three of the most important ones could - in addition - save ACA supplements and slash hundreds of billions in unnecessary medical expenses now paid by taxpayers, suggests public interest law professor John Banzhaf.

Banzhaf's actions in getting antismoking warning messages on radio and television, banning cigarette commercials, prohibiting smoking in many public and private places, and making a fundamental change in health insurance have saved hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs.

Professor Banzhaf proposes:

■ Requiring those who receive ACA subsidies and other government support for health insurance not to smoke, or to pay for the huge added medical costs their choice to smoke now imposes unnecessarily on the great majority of U.S. taxpayers;

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■ Requiring those who receive ACA subsidies and other government support for health insurance to no longer be grossly or morbidly obese [BMI > 39], or to pay for the huge medical costs their unhealthy eating choices now impose unnecessarily on the great majority of U.S. taxpayers;

■ Requiring those who receive ACA subsidies and other government support for health insurance, and who are not physically unable to do so, to engage in a recommended amount of exercise, as validated by wearable fitness trackers, or pay the added medical costs their refusal now imposes on taxpayers.

SMOKING

Although fewer than 12% of U.S. adults still smoke, cigarette smoking cost the United States more than $600 billion in 2018, including more than $240 billion in healthcare spending; a whooping 21.5% of that was imposed upon Medicaid. . . .

MORBID OBESITY

Fewer than 10% of U.S. adults are morbidly obese [BMI > 39], but they manage to impose $60–74 billion in unnecessary medical costs each year. . . .

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REASONABLE EXERCISE

Almost 75& of U.S. adults do not meet the federal government's Physical Activity Guidelines, and their failure to engage in the amount of exercise necessary for good health produces unnecessary medical care costs of over $115 billion each and every year. . . .

The amount of daily exercise those enrolled under such programs get can easily to measured by using fitness trackers (bracelets or watches) which cost less than $25; including some which will permit transmitting the results for review if necessary.

Banzhaf notes that a growing number of companies already charge less for health insurance if people document, through fitness trackers, that they get a healthful amount of exercise, so his third recommendation is fully consistent with this growing trend.

OVERALL

Both Democrats and Republicans have been demanding for many years - impose some measure of personal responsibility on recipients for their own health,   . .

http://banzhaf.net/   jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com   @profbanzhaf