Chewing on Healthcare is A Lot to Swallow

The healthcare debate is starting to boil in New Hampshire and nationwide. President Obama has called for a series of grassroots healthcare meetings in cities and towns across the country. In New Hampshire so far, 10 such events have taken place or are in planning. Some are scheduled as house parties with private citizens while others are included as part of large public events, such as the “Steps for Healthcare Walk” being held in Keene on June 27th. Before these meetings were even conceived, health advocates and city public health departments were battling for every last dollar from the New Hampshire state budget, and groups were forced to fight the decrease of donor funding in light of rising fixed costs.

Tamara Martin, Chairperson for New Hampshire Action for Healthy Kids feels the pinch but remains hopeful. “Schools now have to make tough decisions in response to these difficult economic times,” Martin explained. “Many schools are deciding whether to reduce monies spent on healthier eating options and physical education programs, which are the critical components of reducing the incidence of chronic disease in school aged children.”

While optimistic about the future, Martin believes that the only solution to the healthcare crisis is real reform. “We work with the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, who states that 75 cents of every healthcare dollar goes towards chronic diseases such as mental illness, cancer, hypertension and many others. New Hampshire and the nation as a whole will save precious dollars by gearing its efforts on the reducing the cost of prevention, management and treatment of these chronic conditions.”

Martin is not the only voice in making this call for practical reforms. Denise Brewitt, Executive Director of the Council for Children and Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions (CCACHC) sees reforms necessary at many levels. “The Congressional Budget Office unfortunately does not consider trends in diseases nor do they consider the benefits of healthcare program investment beyond 10 years in their budget decisions,” expressed Brewitt. “How can we expect to find long-term solutions for fighting childhood obesity and asthma when we only look at short-term data?”

As an advocate for children’s health issues Brewitt also sees health reforms in the home as another key piece of the healthcare puzzle. “Parents need to set the right example for their children by eating healthy, exercising, maintaining adherence to doctor recommended checkups, medications and dosing. If we show our kids that we take our own health as parents seriously, we will see overall improvements in the health practices of our kids as they grow up.”

Look to NowHampshire over the coming months for perspective on national, state and local health reform as it develops from New Hampshire health experts.