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EDITORIAL: Government Programs Can't Trump Bad Behavior

OUR VIEWS Dismal health statistics
Read complete article: NewsOK, 2009-05-10
Author: The Oklahoman Editorial

Review:
ALL on the same day last week, Oklahoma got a failing health report card, the governor signed a comprehensive health care reform bill and zealots for an insurance coverage mandate concluded that the Legislature is doing little or nothing to improve the state's health status.

On Wednesday, the state Health Department said Oklahoma trails the nation in nearly every health indicator, "creating a picture of disease and death," as The Oklahoman reported, "often blamed on unhealthy personal choices."

This report came not from an advocacy group seeking to fan the flames for its own self-interests. It came from the very agency most responsible for making Oklahoma a healthier state.

Of 33 categories rated, the state got an F on eight and a D on 16. We got poor marks for failing to protect ourselves from cerebrovascular disease, for lack of exercise, for eating poorly, for smoking tobacco.

This would be an outrage, said state health board Chairman Barry Smith, if we were talking about football. Instead, we're talking about something far more important yet far less discussed. We're talking about continued bad behavior that government programs and health care spending alone can't solve.

And he and the rest of us know that our poor health ranking has less to do with insurance coverage, the number of mandates or even the insured rate than it does with how we behave.

Oklahoma got poor marks for failing to protect ourselves from cerebrovascular disease, for lack of exercise, for eating poorly, for smoking tobacco.

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