Blog underlines link between fitness and healthcare outcomes

The following blog post was published on December 24, 2009, by Shafeen Charania, author of the synthesis blog, winner of the 2008 Weblog award for best new blog, and Time.com's 25 best blogs of 2009.

There is a direct correlation between level of education and economic status; there is a direct correlation between economic status and fitness; there is a direct correlation between fitness and healthcare cost. There is also a direct correlation between the way doctors and hospitals get paid and the type of work they do. These facts are not disputed.

And yet neither the House nor the Senate bills have any consideration for these factors. They instead focus on symptoms and not the overall outcome - a healthier and more fit society.

There are three incredibly simple goals that any effective healthcare legislation ought to have, none of which is addressed by our self-centered and partisan Congress.