One Factor About Health Care Reform That No One Is Talking About

Walk into any deli, stand in line at any bank, or simply walk down any street and one will inevitably overhear conversations regarding possible health care reforms being considered by the government in addition to hearing the opinions of everyday people regarding what changes they would like to see occur to the health care system. These conversations continue across the nation in medical facilities and at kitchen tables as families everywhere attempt to balance health and finances in a fierce battle between their medical needs and what they can afford.

Nightly, televisions and radios broadcast the voices of local and national leaders as they discuss their thoughts on health care reform, share their ideas on how to reform health care, and quietly mention the cost of implementing any new system. Yet, for all of the conversations, the speeches, and the interviews, there seems to be no focus on one particular aspect of health care.

Health care is about more than doctors and insurance companies; it is about tending to one’s health, one’s well-being, physically and emotionally. As school children we are taught about the food pyramid and about making healthy lifestyle and dietary choices, an education that continues as adults as we read magazines, newspapers, and watch television talk shows. Yet, how many Americans are forced into making unhealthy dietary choices because of finances?

People on budgets and those on fixed incomes know the truth: Processed foods, foods with little nutritional content that are high in fats, sugars, salts, and carbohydrates, are less expensive than healthier food choices. Americans who are already experiencing health problems are unable to afford fresh fruits and vegetables, the food choices that may actually improve their health, a problem that costs the nation valuable minds, valuable employees, valuable citizens, and puts a financial strain on the tax base. And, many who have met a new need to budget their grocery purchases have had to begin a meal plan that may destroy the health previously enjoyed.

Canned food products are much cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables, although the canned products often have added salt, sugar, and preservatives, all of which have a negative long-term effect on health. A can of asparagus is usually less than one dollar, but the product seldom appears much like its fresh counterpart and lists very few nutrients on the label. A fresh asparagus bunch, however, will supply the same amount of servings but the cost is more than tripled. The same can be said for spinach, green beans, tomatoes, and potatoes. Canned fruit is often in the form of pie filling, with the pre-cooked fruit heavily laden with sugar or chemical substitutes.

Grain fed animal products always carry a larger price tag than their competitors. Unroasted nuts usually cost more per pound than nuts that have been baked in various oils, salts, and preservatives, a process that adds calories and fat grams without adding nutritional content. As one walks through the grocery store, comparing prices and making decisions, the list of price differences seems endless but the shopper is always aware that the budget is finite.

Organic fruits and vegetables are even more expensive than the “regular” fresh produce. During a recent shopping trip to a local market, one head of cabbage, unpackaged and possibly sprayed with pesticides or preservatives, cost less than fifty cents. However, in the same store, an organic head of cabbage cost over two dollars and fifty cents. Organic eggs typically cost a dollar more per dozen. An argument can be made that because of the additional chemicals that have been sprayed onto and absorbed into the food, even non-organic fresh fruits and vegetables may be damaging our long-term health, a problem that could eventually result in greater health care expenses.

As our politicians discuss potential changes in how insurance companies operate, how doctors perform their daily tasks, if socialized medicine would be a positive or negative outcome for America, and how much reform of the health care system is needed, hopefully they will begin to also consider and debate the need for healthy dietary choices to be available to and affordable for everyone. With affordable, more nutritious options at the supermarket, perhaps the overall health of Americans will improve and the future costs of medical care will decrease.