don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

"When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income." Plato

"I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is -- I could be just as proud for half the money." Arthur Godfrey

This country has many serious problems to address, almost too numerous to mention, so I won't. Well, maybe a few, starting with the quality of our leaders, the absurdity of their policies (Iraq war, for instance), the obscene deficit being passed to future generations and the fact that most citizens are overweight, underfit, heavily medicated, superstitious and highly stressed. Other than that, things aren't so bad! Except for the so-called health care system, which, of course, is actually a fragmented, unsystematic and dysfunctional medical delivery hodgepodge.

All of which leads to my idea that the nation would benefit if Congress would pass a law granting a tax credit to fit people! Here's why.

We pay $1.9 trillion for our medical system hodgepodge. We don't get good value for our money, though some privileged folks do enjoy quality medical care. Yet, overall the results are not so good, for most. While we pay more for health care than citizens in other Western nations, we do not do better (in other words, live longer, get sick less often, have better infant mortality rates or other indices that reflect actual health status). In addition, many (about 25 percent) Americans have little or no health insurance to help pay for medical expenses.

While it is not the entire solution, as everyone will eventually get sick and injured before dying of something, we could reduce medical costs dramatically if Americans were motivated and rewarded for staying well in the first place. Yes, genetics, environment and medical services matter, but lifestyle is a category we can control. The influence of our behaviors on health status is vastly unappreciated and underemphasized by most policy makers (politicians).

Basically, the current situation can be summed up with the following axiom. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing, but there are two problems: We expect too much of it and too little of ourselves.

All of which is why I came up with the idea of tax credit subsidies for Americans. By following a simple program of regular exercise, good diet and other disciplined practices known to optimize health and human performance, fit people boost their prospects to stay well in the first place. They do not unnecessarily burden the bloated medical system. They are good citizens, doing their part for America. Thus, it seems sensible for the government to provide attractive returns for such virtues. The benefits to society are substantial. I think a nice tax subsidy is in order. Such an incentive would not only reward the virtuous, but more important would motivate many of the remaining 95 percent of the population to follow their example.

I suggest the first priority of the new Congress should be to promote wellness lifestyles with such a fitness tax credit policy. What do you think would happen if Congress passed laws that rewarded personal responsibility, daily exercise and good nutrition? I think the impact would be dramatic. Such incentives would lead to more behaviors that reduce the need for doctors, medications and health care professionals. It sure seems like a good idea to me. What do you think?

A wellness mindset that rewarded accountability would also discourage people from succumbing to temptations to blame someone else, make excuses, whine or wet their pants in the face of adversity. Let's promote policies that offer alternatives to the sorry status quo, to complacency, to mediocrity and to self-pity, boredom and slothfulness.

Besides exercise and fitness, nutrition and stress management, a national campaign with suitable tax and other incentives could encourage other wellness qualities. Among them might be critical thinking, a conscious quest for added meaning and purpose in daily life, the development of greater emotional intelligence and more tolerance, humor, play and effective relationships.

Let's have a changed focus, not on more medical care or more drugs or more cures but more guidance and support for appreciating what it means to be a healthy person, as opposed to just not being sick.

Let's have a country that celebrates and rewards those who do just that.

Be well.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of exercise and fitness. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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