I decided I must weigh in on this one after all. I do work at the largest hospital in my immediate area, which just happens to be the only for profit hospital in southern Arizona. My observations are first hand, not something I've seen on TV or read about. I don't honestly believe we have a 'healthcare' crisis. I believe that we do have a 'wellness' crisis. More accurately, a lack of wellness crisis. The vast majority of the patients I see in the healthcare system are sick due to their own lifestyle choices. We have an entire generation of citizens who think that they are owed everything: police protection, fire protection, healthcare, etc. Personal responsibility is way undervalued by our current culture. Numerous hospitalizations could be avoided entirely by simply getting an annual physical exam where the physician has the opportunity to catch the signals of a possible or impending issue and take preemptive measures. 'You are what you eat' is a manta of any good cardiac rehab program. However, if adopted as a normal part of one's life, it could have been what keep you out of cardiac care in the first place. I don't think I need to point out the shift to a sedentary lifestyle that the vast majority of people have adopted. Practicing wellness is hard work. Most people would much prefer to ignore good lifestyle choices and then push the responsibility for their well being off onto someone else. Jim in Tucson
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