Page 6 - REPORT Brinkman 20-MAR Healthcare Roundtable

Selection 2: We need to promote and incentivize healthy lifestyles and preventative care
The ideas from the group included:

Possible Action Possible way to measure effectiveness

Provide healthy lifestyle coaches. Improve (1) statewide BMI index and (2) lower # of
smokers.
Question: At this point, when everyone knows being
overweight and smoking are bad, why do so many
not act? What would really cause them to act?

Credit for low use of healthcare insurance / $s Lower healthcare spending.
to promote accountability.
Campaign against smoking and e-cigs. Fewer smokers.
Question: Given federal campaigns, the tobacco
settlement, high prices, etc. why do we think a smoker
still smokes today?
Nutrition consultant by phone / internet. Lower (1) heart disease, (2) obesity and diabetes.
Question: A wealth of information is available online
already. What would this offer in addition to what is
online now? What impact would it have?
More education and discounts for participation
in health related programs.
Enhance availability of healthy food in food Decrease in obesity.
deserts via govt. subsidy (public / private
partnerships) to encourage markets.
Incentivize being at a good weight and Question: What incentives would really be effective?
exercising. Cover dieticians as preventive Obesity would seem to be a dis-incentive as would
care. dying young. If that is not incentive enough, we need
to understand what would be a real incentive.

Include and embrace "functional medicine." Lower healthcare costs and outcomes using more
holistic approaches including supplements.
Of the ideas put forward, there is some analysis (and perspective from Rep. Brinkman):

• Several involve resources (both money and people) that may not exist (coaches, nutritionists,
dieticians) and would be complex to monitor and measure if part of a “State” program.
• The most actionable may be to address nutritional food availability and incentives for
participation in health-related programs (ex: exercise).

Interesting side thought: Several of the questions inserted in the table above get at why people do not
lead healthy lifestyles. Obesity is not fun. Heart disease is not fun. As the role of government has
increased, these problems seem to have become worse. Why and are there things government does in
the spirit of helping that actually contribute to the problem?

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