Physical activities

I guess I'll be keeping with the theme of healthcare again today.

It is no secret that the rate of acceptable physical activity is falling amongst adult aged individuals. The most obvious culprit of that outcome, is technological advancement changing the nature of work, nature of transport and providing alternatives to outdoor activity. All of our devices and machines are ruling the day. This trend is inevitable, as an economy goes through the stages of development and becomes tertiary sector dominant; when labour produces more service related output, while also consuming those services.

The gaming and entertainment industries, for example, are really contributing to reducing physical activity uptake (hopefully I won't be further cancelled due to that statement).

We know that health outcomes are based on a multitude of factors. In addition to physical exercise, people need to have balanced meals (kudos, again, to my biology classes from school, with providing me with this necessary piece of general knowledge). So imagine a situation where both are faulty: lower physical activity and problematic diets/ food quality. Double whammy to average health outcomes and the underlying healthiness level of a population. Not to mention other severe diseases such as cancer, which are also on the rise, further exacerbating health risks amongst the population.

The reason why all of this is pertinent, is that it directly affects the issue of the day: cost of healthcare. The way the system is set up in the United States is based on people having health insurance. For those of you that understand the underpinnings of insurance premium calculations, risk impacts pricing. Now, average population health risks are not something you can change overnight. Especially considering current habits were developed over decades. I guess the Luigi Mangione debacle has really rattled the cage, and there is added pressure on e.g. negotiating ACA subsidies.

What Luigi Mangione and his supporters are forgetting is, rates coming down needs to happen alongside severe changes in health and wellness practices in the United States. In this case, the burden needs to be on all sides of the debate.