tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1257731978599370277.post1823783959453686858..comments2013-10-03T09:27:22.237-07:00Comments on Tongue-In-Cheek: Health Care: A Fair Assessmentchuckrateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365015824563821045noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1257731978599370277.post-17857987100493181202009-08-02T06:08:57.937-07:002009-08-02T06:08:57.937-07:00Being healthy doesn't come cheap. Aside from ...Being healthy doesn't come cheap. Aside from exercise, which you really don't need that gym membership to do, living healthy can come at a steep price.<br /><br />Eating organically is expensive. If I get groceries at Whole Foods (which is not always more expensive than Shaws or Hannaford) I leave with probably two bags around $100 bucks. A trip to Shaws I'll get maybe twice as much for around the same price. My wife and I have discussed many times how a family living on a tight budget could eat healthy. Short answer is that they probably can't, at least not without a lot of thought and planning.<br /><br />Not to mention that lower income people are statistically more likely to engage in "risky behavior" like smoking and drinking, lead more stressful lives, and live in areas more prone to crime, pollution, etc. The situation gets complex rather quickly.<br /><br />In the long run, prevention programs, education and outreach, more economic opportunities will alleviate some of these problems, hopefully lowering health care costs overall. Of course there is something to be said for personal choice. People will do what people want to do. People can eat trans-fats and smoke carcinogens all they want really. No skin off my nose, until I have to start paying for their medical bills.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com