With the United States currently engaged in a heated debate over health care reform, there are those of us who regularly exercise, maintain healthy eating and lifestyles whose voices have been silenced by both political and insurance beaurocracy. The U.S. weighs in at #9, with 74.1% of those over 15 years old considered overweight. But given that its population is nearly 20,000 times that of Nauru the current #1 fattest nation, the U.S. clearly tops the charts. In 2000 and based upon the complexity of gathering the data the last year the WHO (World Health Organization) commissioned a study, the U.S. ranked number 37 in the world only to slightly beat out Slovenia in the quality of health care. While there are a number of factors leading to the mortality rate and rising health care causes, the simplest cure is prevention. Taking both a proactive and personal responsibility approach by exercising daily and eating a more balanced diet are key components to insuring fewer trips to the doctors and a substantially reduced health care per individual costs. It is with this that we are circulating a petition to urge insurance providers to create a rewards program that provides the individual insured with discounts of 10% or more off of their monthly premium based upon their participation at a gym or gyms that have been designated a participating partner. When you sign in at one of these facilities, a record will be kept of your attendance, this record will be the sent to the insurance company annually with your renewal and at that time the discount will be applied. The program will be completely voluntary and will be instituted just as a credit card company institutes their rewards programs. It is time we as both consumers and Americans stand up and work to lower our health care costs and improve both our lives and our financial condition.
