We know that the holidays are a time for thoughtfulness and caring, so today we’d like you to be thoughtful and caring about the future of health in this country. So this post is a call to action for you from our friends at Center for Science in the Public Interest. We wrote to our senators this morning, now it’s your turn. In the season of giving, we’re giving our elected officials our input, and the chance to make our voices heard.
As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate health reform bill, we need your help to urge your Senators to champion the prevention provisions! The current provisions have already been cut by almost 75 percent in an attempt to decrease the overall cost of the bill. We cannot afford to lose the remaining funds dedicated to preventing chronic diseases, which account for 75 percent of our health care costs.
Currently in the Senate health reform bill, the prevention funds would increase over time to about $2 billion a year.
It’s time to let Senators know that prevention is not negotiable! For too long, health care has focused on treating people after they have become sick, instead of keeping them well in the first place. The public health investment fund and national prevention strategy would lower disease rates, improve quality of life, and help reduce health care costs for families, businesses, and the government.
The current prevention measures also include a national menu labeling policy. This policy would result in nutrition information on the menus and menu boards at chain restaurants across the country, bringing this popular policy, which has already passed in 16 local and state legislatures, to all Americans.
Please contact your Senators today and urge them to protect and champion the prevention measures currently included in health reform!
Thank you for your support!
Warmly,
Christopher
P.s. If you haven’t pre-ordered our book…do it today! (See the links to retailers on your right)
One Dollar Diet Project 
Chris, not to get into a political debate, but I don’t think this current health care bill is designed to limit costs or increase the availability of health care. It seems much more interested in creating single payer – government run care. I’m not going to debate the pluses or minuses of single payer, but don’t expect the Senate to jump on increasing prevention care when that does not seem to be their focus.
I agree prevention is important, but isn’t prevention really beyond the scope of insurance. It isn’t really “care” but well…pre-care. If you take care of yourself you get sick less. Maybe alternative treatments should be given more credance in health care…but really what I want to know is what the gov has to do with it anyway. We (my family) are below poverty level income…by quite a bit…but we work, use our talents to live pretty comfortable, eat well, stay pretty healthy and try to keep from burdening other tax payers at the same time (Quite a challenge in our society that last one). Maybe others can’t do it, but maybe more could if they tried. I don’t believe gov health care will “help” anyone, and will least help those that it purports to be for…the poor, the elderly, and the youngest among us. It really is not possible to talk about the health care bill without talking “politics”; about like talking about a recipe book but not talking about food.
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!