What group costs the least and contributes the most?
Oct 23rd, 2009 by terry
knee pain
A colleague’s knee pain is flaring up, a limping remnant of arthroscopic surgery eight years ago. This valued, productive employee is good at his physically demanding job, and grateful for it, but uncertain that his body will cooperate. Without adequate treatment, his chances dim dramatically. Insurance companies like to receive premiums but loathe paying benefits and get astonishingly creative to avoid doing so.
Society benefits if his knee is treated so that he can keep working and bring money home to his family.With our current health care system, the net benefit to the bottom line trumps everything else, including net benefit to society.
Simple logic leads us to connect the dots that healthy, well nourished and educated people contribute greatly to our society. Ill health, poor nutrition and education are disadvantages that cost us dearly in the long run. The best investment we can make is to create a system for people to help themselves. Because this is not something that the government can deliver to us, it makes every bit of sense to marshal the resources to empower our communities right here, right now.
Gathering as a community to discover needs and resources is one place to start. Every community needs safe, friendly, affordable gathering places. How about a cooperative diner? Latchkey children in every community go home to an empty house until their parents come home from work. This is a disconnect because every community has trustworthy, reliable retired or unemployed adults who like children and would be honored to contribute to a child’s life.
Some of the best “medicine” out there is in the burgeoning fields of alternative medicine and nutrition, well outside the medical industrial complex and big pharma. These healers have pursued their calling and paid their dues. There is a place for western medicine – broken bones, some surgeries, and cancer to name just a few. The alternative healers, along with sound nutrition, can go a long way toward upgrading our health so that we are less likely to need conventional medicine.
The group of people who cost the least and contribute the most are those with adequate housing, good health, nourishing food and good education. For the country that harnessed electricity and put men on the moon, these goals should not be considered lofty.
They do, however, require responsive, resourceful communities to pull it off. Gathering to brainstorm for solutions to these very common problems empowers communities to marshal the resources to ensure that everyone has the essential foundation to succeed in life.
