Can we make America healthy again?

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Pat Hickey | Reno Gazette Journal

For America to somehow become great again, one of the most important steps would be for Americans to get healthier.

Since the end of WWII, the way Americans eat has changed radically. The country transformed from relying on a relatively wholesome and nourishing food system to a daily diet laden with fats, sugar, and ultra-processed unhealthy foods.

It’s estimated that $1 trillion a year is spent in our health care system to combat diet-related diseases. Despite the immense amount of funds spent on treating such disorders, 6 in 10 American deaths can be attributed to diet-related causes, according to the National Institute of Health.

Did you know that Americans live shorter lives and suffer more health problems than our peers in other high-income countries? According to the American Public Health Association, “When compared to other high-income countries, the United States ranks 34th in life expectancy.” We also “perform poorly on most measures of health, from infant mortality to obesity and chronic disease.”

The popular ’60s counterculture phrase “you are what you eat” referred to a whole host of internal and external things Americans take part in. The phrase originated from French author Anthelme Brillat-Savirin, who wrote more precisely, “Tell me what you eat and I well tell you who you are.” It seems to apply to today’s eating habits, and probably much more.

Historian Allen Pietroban, an assistant professor of global affairs at Trinity Washington University, traces the changes in American cuisine since 1945, highlighting a few key events that radically changed how and what Americans eat. He explores how the race riots of the 1960s led to a government policy that helped fast-food restaurants proliferate in inner-city neighborhoods; how government actions meant to alleviate economic problems of the 1970s led to far more meat and highly processed foods being added to our diets; and how an alliance among the U.S. government, ad agencies and major food corporations helped to transform America into what food writer Greg Crister calls “the fattest nation on earth.”

It’s not just self-appointed health guru (and possibly Trump-appointed Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) that’s calling for America to “become healthy again.” A recent study by the Journal of Legislation and Public Policy found that “Americans are suffering from record levels of chronic disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity. The relatively recent rise in ultra-processed food and its dubious impact on daily nutritional intake, combined with a staggering increase in the use of prescribed medications, is under heightened scrutiny.”

That same study found that “(t)he connection among what people eat, how food is grown, how patients are treated as they develop chronic disease, and how taxpayer resources are used to fuel these seemingly disparate industries is at the heart of a bipartisan movement to reverse the collapse of the American people’s health. The time to make America healthy again has arrived.”

Besides our own mindsets, eating habits and dependence on drugs to treat effects rather than causes, the biggest obstacles to change may be found in the two institutions designed to solve the problem: public bureaucracies and private business interests. What about that other overused cliché, “If you're not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem?” It seems to apply.

President-elect Trump is promising to preserve the medical care system for seniors and at the same time reform (by decreasing fraud and inefficiency) a Medicare system that has fostered both abuses and a bloated bureaucracy.

Some might note the irony of RFK Jr. being selected to reform a Medicare Advantage Industry that his uncle Edward Kennedy helped create back in the 1980s in order to allow private industry to help government implement Medicare benefits.

Ray Martin is an insurance sales leader who sees an immediate need for reform to protect his elderly clients.

“Yes, there is no doubt the Medicare Advantage industry is making tons of money because of privatizing Medicare benefits back in the ’80s,” Martin said. “The estimates are that fraud alone in Medicare amounts to about $60 billion a year. As we know, the larger government becomes the more inefficient it is when it comes to delivering services. You only need to walk into a DMV to see that.

“There's no doubt there's a lot of waste in Medicare and hopefully something can be done about it. Maybe Elon Musk and Vivek will be able to bring Medicare into the 21st century.”

A tall order indeed. AARP, the nonprofit organization that provides resources and support for older Americans (including its own supplemental plans), sees part of the solution being “advocating to lower the price of prescription drugs; improving coordination of care and use of technology; and cutting out unnecessary testing, excess paperwork, waste and fraud.”

Health care has become a huge challenge for America, especially in light of the increased unhealthiness of our population. Medicines may be helping us to live longer, but, unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles and an overdependence on pharmaceutical drugs are sadly not improving the quality of those extended lives.

Occasionally, a crisis helps wake us up. As difficult as COVID was for many, there were silver linings for the overall health and well-being of Americans. According to the National Institute of Health, three positive effects were “more family time, work flexibility, and a calmer life.”

I experienced those things myself during the lifestyle changes brought on by the imposition of COVID. I ate more healthy staying at home, I started walking and then hiking after consuming fruit and vegetable smoothies that I’ve even grown to like that resulted in significant weight loss. I spend more personal time with family and friends. It’s been good for both my health, and my happiness.

Reforming our health care system to better ensure wellness — as well as the delivery of treatments we need — is crucial to making America healthier again.

The idea behind such changes is one that will require reducing the size and influence of both government bureaucracies and corporate industries alike.

If we begin to make progress on this critical front, especially with respect to Medicare and the elderly, it could mean a healthier and happier people, reduced mortality, fewer chronic diseases, diminished reliance on prescription drugs, lower health care costs, empowered patients and doctors, and restored trust in our institutions.

Maybe there is a way to make America great, or at least healthier, again.

Your thoughts? Happy holidays. Email me at tahoeboy68@gmail.com.

"Memo from the Middle" is an opinion column written by RGJ columnist Pat Hickey, a member of the Nevada Legislature from 1996 to 2016.

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