Is it time to stop supporting health charities

This morning on NPR there was a report about an innovative program that Safeway sponsors for its employees which provides incentives for employees who do the right thing in losing weight, quitting smoking and exercising. In essence the CEO of the company argued that these incentives made more productive workers and improved their health. For those employees who do not choose to take care of themselves they pay normal rates for their health insurance.

But the NPR people also interviewed some idiot from the American Cancer Society who yammered that contrary to common sense that this program (which is actually contained in the Senate Finance bill as an amendment by Senator Ensign) is somehow discriminatory. What twaddle!

If we are to "reform" health care part of the solution will come from making intelligent choices and as importantly in increasing the propensity of all of us to be wiser consumers. From a rational viewpoint that means thinking about how we use our health care and also in taking better care of ourselves. If we do that we will cost the system less. But the nimrod from the ACS seems to think that what we should be doing is creating more of an entitlement mentality. That is a sure way to guarantee that the "reforms" bankrupt us all.

When ACS and the Heart Association and others began to get into public policy issues a couple of decades ago - they stood for sound health policy. I worked with them on a couple of bills in Sacramento where they helped explain complex issues, especially about bio-medical research. But even then they began to become advocates for a more expansive government. I understand that at least some of the work of these entities is to support research but the externalities created by the kind of public policy advocacy advanced by the ACS spokesperson is just too high a price to pay.