Healthy Legislation

Link to senate hearing...I didn't watch the whole thing.

This is a link to a senate hearing with "integrative medicine" representatives Andrew Weil, Mehmet Oz, Dean Onish and Mark Hyman. It's simply an exploratory meeting, but the four doctors clarified what they felt was a major problem with the American Health Care system: a focus on disease management rather than illness prevention. The major suggestions revolved around better education: mostly in schools.

According to the initial speaker, Obama urged Congress to pass a new health related bill, and Obama also hoped for a focus on prevention. I don't know that this exploratory committee will be take things further, but I certainly believe it's a step in the right direction...and the kind of common sense legislation that will be largely supported by many Americans, especially those not following their party line. The "party line" condition is necessary only because I foresee the Republican party opposing this legislation, if it somehow becomes popular, with some variant of "The government shouldn't tell us how to live". If you're reading my blog, I'd hope you don't need me to point out the straw man. I suppose secondarily they could attack one of the doctors with claims of "quackery", which is almost a legitimate argument (ad hominem for you fallacy lovers). Almost legitimate because, if their proposed health solutions are ineffective, that's a valid reason not to use them. I personally don't think that's the case, and I think this is a perfect example of when the government should step in: not to do what's profitable, but to do what's necessary.

Slight off-topic: Obama, since taking office, has governed in a method I agree with. I don't agree with every decision (ie, I'm not convinced of the viability of the economic stimulus) but I appreciate the transparency and accountability he attempts to bring to the office and to our highest levels of government.