Obama: Making a Healthier America

Author: Crystal Fontaine

Recently, the United Health Foundation, in conjunction with the American Public Health Association, released a study rating the healthiest and least healthy states in America. The study ranked the fifty U.S states on per capita percentages of obesity, cardiovascular disease, child poverty, smoking, and so forth. Each state was ranked accordingly with the national average. The report focuses on four key areas that include personal behaviors, public and health policy, clinical care, and community and environment.

One must head north, apparently, to find some of the healthiest states in America, including Washington and Massachusetts. Leading the charts of the healthiest state in the nation is Vermont. The state has the fewest children living in poverty as well as growth in the specialty of prenatal care, climbing the rankings from twenty-nine to number two in the nation. Although Vermont’s obesity has doubled since the 1990’s, it still falls below the national average. On the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi is considered the unhealthiest states with the highest rate of children living in poverty with the overall highest levels of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and smoking rates.

Unfortunately for Americans, the United States as whole is failing when it comes to health. Compared to the international community, the United States average life expectancy is sixty-nine years, falling behind twenty-seven other developed nations. Leading at an average life expectancy of seventy-five years, Japan seems to be doing something right in the health department. Key factors contributing to the United States decline in health include the rising of obesity as well as a growing number of people who are uninsured.

Addressing this issue, Obama’s plan calls for an overhaul of the nation’s health care system with high hopes not to repeat the same line of costly mistakes of the Clinton Administration some 15 years ago, leading us into the negative health trends we are facing today. The Early Strategy Plan starts with giving the public a chance in voicing any concerns and experiences, which confronts a major criticism that former President Clinton’s plan had been too enigmatic. Other lessons include the need to move fast and to not let go until the job is done. According to Tom Daschle, Obama’s recently announced Secretary of Health and Human Services, “Details kill…if we get too far into the weeds…we’re going to get hung up on all the details and we’re never going to get to the principles”.

As wonderful as re-configuring the health care system sounds, the immense costs for restructuring the system are daunting. During his campaign, President-elect Obama planned to pay by increasing taxes on the wealthy and requiring larger businesses to either offer health coverage or supply some of their payroll to a new public insurance plan. However, this might prove to be difficult with the current economic situation and the United State’s seemingly insurmountable debt.