SOC409: Week Five

      Do we have control over our own health? This question was proposed in class this week and it became clear this question is harder than it seems to answer. I believe that to some extent we do have control over our health. There will always be such factors that we cannot control that always be present: genetics, bacteria and viruses, environmental catastrophies, and accidents. Although these will always be present, there is no reason to just give in and be "victimized",we are only given one body and it's time to start making sure it's health is a higher priority.  I feel too many people use these uncontrolable factors as a scapegoat to why they have bad health, because is much easier to blame someone/somebody else.

As Michelle Obama stated in an article she wrote for Women's Health in 2012, "The truth is, being a healthy woman isn't about getting on a scale or measuring your waistline- and we can't afford to think that way." We need to focus on more than just our pant size, what we are putting into our bodies and how we are treating them is crucial.   Life is too precious to sit back and feel as though we have no impact on the outcome of our health. I feel we are given certain tasks that we DO have control over. Excercising, diet, physical checkups, and preventative screenings. All of these are crucial to our health outcome, living a healthy lifestyle sets a positive example for others to follow. Although Michelle Obama's article is geared towards women, she serves as a great example for men as well. "So, here's the bottom line for us...No more excuses. Today, we're more empowered than ever before to take control of our lives and our health."

Another question that arose concerns the people who already and/or will continue to abuse the health care system if it is successfully changed to and open-ended system. Robert Helms argues that, "The open-ended payments that are a common feature of private health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid, are a primary source of out-of-control costs in health care. Open-ended payments encourage wasteful spending rather than rewarding a careful consideration of quality,value, cost, and benefit." He makes a valid point. If people are already abusing the system, how will that change if health care becomes free? It won't, it will become worse. People will take advantage of the system, simply because it is available free of cost. While he agrees that there needs to be major emphasis on new knowledge and technology, prevention, and lifestyle changes, he also states, "These are obviously good ideas that would lead to improvement, but people must have an incentive to do these things before any real progress will be made."

Contrary, Malcolm Gladwell feels that the "Moral hazard" is blown out of proportion. While many people will properly be using the new health care sytem to their advantage, it is because in the end it will save us money, therefore not being wasteful. "...when it comes to health care, many of the things we do only because we have insurance- like getting our moles checked, or getting our teeth cleaned regularly, or getting a mammogram or engaging in other routine preventative care- are anything but wasteful and inefficient." Behaviors and acts like this will help save money. Going to the doctor to get a mole checked is much less expensive than treating a mole that became cancerous. While Helms believes that people will over abuse the system, Gladwell makes a valid point. Most of the people in the United States who are uninsured, are uninsured by choice. Therefore when health care becomes available people are not just going to run to the hospital. Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton economist, argues,  "You always hear that the demand for health care is unlimited. This is just not true. People who are very well insured, who are very rich, do you see them check into the hospital because it's free? Do people really like going to the doctor? Do they check into the hospital instead of playing golf?"

Overall i feel that there will always be those who abuse the system, however, I do not feel these numbers are going to dramatically increase if health care become a universal system. Universal health care will help people take more control of their lives, because more preventative care will be offered and more people will be able to set a positive example for others.