February 25, 2010
Why there is no CARE in health care
There was a vocal health care discussion on the Facebook comments section of a picture a good friend posted, and it just irks me that no one is really talking about the problem.
Health Care and Health Insurance are two, diametrically opposed systems with one common goal. Money. In the US our care is governed by the insurers. Health insurance companies are in business to make money. Not help grandma get end of life care, or to make sure Bobby gets his braces.
As a matter of fact, the way that they MAKE money is to NOT pay for either one of those things. To put the choices of our well being into the hands of ANY entity whose sole purpose is money will insure that the only moment we will see them care is when it is fiscally responsible. And it is NEVER fiscally responsible to give money away.
Ever. They give away just enough to make sure that people don't leave and go to another insurer who is willing to accept just a little more risk by giving just a little more money away.
On the other side of the coin, we have a for-profit health CARE industry, whose sole purpose is to MAKE MONEY! Hospitals and medical entities make money ONLY if we are sick or traumatize. There is no profit in that model for preventative care. None. Why? Because if you aren't obese with high blood sugar and coronary disease, then they won't be able to charge you for heart medicine, cholesterol medicine, heart surgery, diabetes management, etc, etc, etc....they can't make any money off of you. If they endorsed that you eat less food of higher quality, move at least 30 minutes a day, NOT smoke...EVER and actually BE healthy rather than treating the symptoms once you AREN'T healthy, they wouldn't make any money.
That isn't to say that all doctors are bad, on the contrary. They are the warriors who work in an industry that has no interest in seeing them succeed in curing and preventing. Just cutting and prescribing. And they weigh that on their conscience every day because they, too, need food on the table and braces for their kids.
The only people who don't want a health INDUSTRY overhaul are the ones who get paid or who already get it free (some fall into the BOTH category). They are the insurers, the hospitals, the drug companies and the politicians; and they, my friends, have EVERYTHING to lose if we, the (un)insured and (un)cared for actually get a system that is a health CARE system. They have everything to lose and they are the only voice at the table. Not one of them is there negotiating for with our voice.
I’m not saying that for profit is bad. Capitalism is one of the main things that drives continuous improvement through competition. I long for the day when our system actually either a.) let’s capitalism work in the industry or b.) abolishes it completely and makes it illegal to turn profit on the health and care of ANYONE. Right now, you have a system that is part mob protectionist racket (You can’t sell insurance here in THIS state…unless we get out cut), part clinical lab trial (I bet your six year old can name at least one heart or erectile dysfunction drug), part Dr. Frankenstein (What, you want to lose weight? Here, we’ll cut you open and staple your stomache) and part jabba the hut (What with your stomached stapled, you won’t have to move at all).
Take your health and your health care into your own hands. Get informed and please, please, please understand the motives of the entities that control your insurance and care. Eat less food, eat food of higher quality, MOVE (run, play lift, skip) and most importantly CARE. If YOU don’t care (about your health, your money and your future) then why the hell should anyone else, dirty politician or otherwise?
Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at
10:28 AM
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February 22, 2010
I'm Back
I’m back into a more mellow swing of things as of this week for the foreseeable future. And by more mellow, I mean at least a little more time for me. Burning 65+ hours a week for 7+ weeks in a row took its toll on me. Stress levels were up, I gained 9 lbs, I lost my rythm around health and fitness and even though I was in Chicago, I was only able to see a couple of shows the entire time I was there.
The new role is different at this point, and I’m involved at the beginning of the work, rather than being low level zip lined onto a burning ship to try and fight the fire, sail it to shore and still convince everyone that everything is going just fine. It also has me working in Minneapolis again, which has a few other benefits.
First, I’m closer to home, which doesn’t seem like much, given that I’m still gone all week, but being a 2 hour car ride vs. three hours total travel by plane (6 by car in a real pickle) – IF there is a flight, and IF there are seats on it – is a big deal. Not to mention that Sara’s brother and his family are here, which means that her coming up to visit me isn’t out of the question once the glacier decides to receed.
Of course, with a more stable work environment, I can plan to be at the gym, and there is no place better than CrossFitMN in Edina to recapture my work out rythm and shed the final 25lbs of fat I’ve been dreaming of. I asked to rebaseline myself today (not out of fear of the AMRAP that was on the board, I SWEAR!!!)
Baseline #1 (6:44)
- Row 500m
- 40 Squats
- 30 Situps
- 20 Pushups
- 10 Pull ups
6:44 is faster than the last time I did it (8:04) and a MUCH better time than I thought I was going to put up, given the last few months that I’ve had.
Today was also my first real CrossFit workout wearing my Vibram Five Fingers, and they did not disappoint; as soon as the workout started, I forgot they were there. Granted, this wasn’t an intense lifting or running WOD, so there’s still research to do. I haven’t worn them running a significant distance yet, but as things get warmer here in the great white north, I’m sure Damian will oblige my curiosity and invite me to run my self into the dirt on several, soul liberating occasions.
Finally, I’ll hopefully get to return to Improv. I’ve offered to Sub for any of the current teams that need a stand in coach for the current round of Six Ring, and if all else fails, I can get out to the theatre for a $1 show. How sweet is that?
Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at
6:05 PM
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February 17, 2010
How's your health (by County)
County Health rankings have been releaesd over the last few days (and the page then slashdotted, so _if_ it loads, it loads slow). I was actually suprised to see that Wisconsin, as a whole, is better than most, and La Crosse County is near the top (meaning LOWER BMIs) in the state as far as Obesity (26%). That being said, that’s still one in four people.
Find your county, look at the stats, figure out what YOU can do to help improve the health of your community.
Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at
11:33 AM
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November 11, 2009
Veterans Day
If there were a time when words were inappropriate, when silence was the most articulate speech, it would be here and now. Better than any oratory, better than any speech or poem for you and I to stand two minutes in silence and look out at those whom we know and those whom we do not know and think of all that they did for us.
Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at
12:01 AM
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November 10, 2009
Body Composition
My most recent numbers:
Total Pounds lost: 27.00
% Body fat lost: 5.10
BMI Change: 3.70
Pounds of fat lost:17.62
Pounds of lean muscle lost: 9.38
I know, I know, negative lean muscle delta isn't good. Interestingly enough, I'm stronger and have more endurance even with the loss of muscle mass, but this now must become a focus. I wanted to wait until I hit 200lbs before _really_ worrying about it but I'm thinking I'll adjust my protein blocks accordingly and start adding a little more weight to my olys.
The roughest thing is the project that I'm on. I haven't been to the gym in three weeks and I'm getting depressed. I'm fighting t keep my schedule clean so that I can get ou of the office at a decent hour, but no one really respects that the drones shouldn't have to work 24 hours a day. It's toughsetting boundaries, especially over the last few weeks with the potential of program ending dates not getting met.
I'm hoping that the most recent round of 'All hands on Deck' has passed and we can get back to our regularly sheduled healthy (ier?) lifestyle.
Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at
2:49 PM
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