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And Americans tend to be overweight and unhealthy. Access to healthcare doesn't automatically shift culture to live a healthier lifestyle (and I suspect it migh
by kenhwang 8y ago
And Americans tend to be overweight and unhealthy. Access to healthcare doesn't automatically shift culture to live a healthier lifestyle (and I suspect it might even do the opposite).
- whitepoplar 8y agoIt would be great if gym memberships could be made free for everyone. I bet it would even be cheaper in the long run to buy an Equinox membership for every American than it would be to do nothing.
- ethbro 8y agoAmerican health care plans are starting to offer financial incentives for maintaining fitness. Which seems a bit like a tragedy of the commons situation. In that insurance company X is paying me for later life benefits that may be reaped by insurance company Y that I have 40 years from now. We need to hurry up and get to baseline genetic risks, then directly rebate insured out of a central pot if they exceed their expected fitness metrics.
- distant_hat 8y agoFree gym memberships are unlikely to result in higher use. I've had multiple workplaces where gym is free and I've rarely used it, thankfully, I am blessed with a skinny physique and parents who inculcated good food habits. In fact, places which charged for gyms explicitly saw slightly higher usage since some folks logic went, since I am paying for it, I might as well get my money's worth.
- thinkcontext 8y agoThe paper considers that hypothesis and rejects it, honing in on prices not utilization as the problem. Indeed its title is "It’s Still The Prices, Stupid: Why The US Spends So Much On Health Care, And A Tribute To Uwe Reinhardt" https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05144 https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05144