Here's a novel idea. Why not tie rates for health insurance (whether public or private) to an individual's willingness to stay healthy? In other words incentivize healthy lifestyles by giving rate cuts on health insurance. Right now some employers are incentivizing employees to exercize. This could be increased by incentivizing healthy lifestyles. With all kinds of devices being computerized and wirelessly networked, I can imagine a teadmill, for instance, wirelessly connected to a doctor's office or a database which clocked the hours spent by a specific individual. Also scales and blood pressure measurements at home can wirelessly transmit crucial health statistics to a central database or doctor's office. Classes in nutrition could count as well as a willingness to consume healthy foods and vitamins. Food purchases could be tracked. Technology is there. This might sound a little Big Brotherish, but the gains in human health, happiness and productivity not to mention cost containment of the health care system would justify encouragement of healthy lifestyles in my opinion.
There are many ways a person's willingness to lead a healthy lifestyle regarding diet and excercise could be tracked, measured and evaluated and that data could be used to determine the rate a person should pay for health insurance. Those not willing to lead a healthy lifestyle should pay more because they will be a greater burden on the overall health care system. Obese people especially are more in danger of heart and kidney problems from Type 2 diabetes, heart attacks etc.
I think this emphasis on healthy lifestyles and incentivizing it by lowering individual rates for health insurance would do a lot for cost containment of the overall health care system and encourage individual responsibility for taking care of one's self and family.
