Two interesting items have been in the news lately. One is the move by Blue Shield of California to raise their premiums by 59% and blowing off calls by the California Insurance Commissioner to hold off on the increase for 60 days. This may turn out to be a good thing. Word is that this incredible act of hubris did not go unnoticed by the California. In a word, they’re pissed. Blue Shield has, I think, overreached itself. The Insurance Commissioner is an elected post but at the moment really doesn’t have the ability to shut down insurance premium increases. That could well change if the mood in Sacramento is any indication.
The other event today was the vote by the GOP-controlled House to repeal the health care reform legislation that was passed last year. There is, of course, no way that this will become law. Chances are the Senate won’t even consider it and President Obama won’t sign it. But it was something the GOP had to do to shut the Teabaggers up.
What will happen next, as I mentioned yesterday, is that conservatives will try to choke the life out of what progress has been made on health care reform by targeting critical pieces of it. The health insurance industry will also push back, but in the long run I do believe that this effort will create a slow blowback. People favored health care reform for a reason, and we do not lose sight of those reasons easily.
Alan Grayson was right. The conservative “health care plan” is “Don’t get sick.” To that end, until we get something more enlightened than the longing for unfettered corporate death panels, I offer the following minimalist health care plan:
- Exercise. If nothing else, walk 30 minutes a day. Find something that interests you or matters to you, and combine it with physical activity
- Get enough rest; a total of 7-8 hours per day for most people.
- Eat well: eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
- Don’t smoke
- Wear your seat belt while driving
- Brush and floss regularly
- Reduce and control your stress levels
In all seriousness, while this is hardly something to cure all that ails you, it can do a surprising amount to tip the odds of staying healthy in your favor. In the meantime, please continue to contact, pester, nag, and annoy your elected representatives about this. Few things are more American than raising hell for what’s right.
