With all the talk coming out of Washington these days about health care, and specifically the impact that obesity has an our rising health care costs as a nation, it is not difficult to imagine a time when our elected officials may see fit to try and regulate our waist lines.  We’ve written here about several incidents where the government has seemed to do just that.  From taxing sugary soft drinks to removing a morbidly obese child from his Mothers care, several states have taken a very hands-on approach to dealing with obesity.  With those kind of precedents being set it is only a matter of time before slippery slope logic dictates we will have some kind of federal intervention into our daily caloric intake.

Contrary to popular belief, though, not everything that comes out of Washington, D.C. is going to be the equivalent of the next $400 hammer.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing that the federal government is taking a closer look at what can be done about the obesity epidemic in America, and one doctor has outlined a plan that could really make a significant difference without infringing on our personal freedoms.

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings is the President and CEO of Global Policy Solutions, a Washington D.C. based social change strategy firm.  In an editorial for HealthNewsDigest.com she outlines a three step plan that she believes the government could implement to reduce the levels of obesity in America and, subsequently, save us billions of dollars in future health care costs.

The first phase of her plan involves “asking” overweight Americans to lose 13% of their body mass.  If there is any one part of her plan that will raise eyebrows it is this opening point.  For many Americans whenever the government “asks” us to do something the fear is that it won’t be long before they will “require” those who have not gone along with the program yet do so.  Giving Dr. Cummings the benefit of the doubt, though, a public awareness campaign with a strong national focus on reducing our BMI would be a great starting point for any kind of serious national weight loss effort.

The second part of Dr. Cummings plan would establish a national primary prevention care program as part of the current initiative to expand health care.  This would open up access to health clubs, weight loss programs, and nutritionists to those who currently look upon such things as being luxuries only available to the financially well-to-do.   For many low-income Americans it’s difficult enough to eat well considering how expensive healthy foods are, and for them entertaining the thought of being able to pay for a gym membership or shell out a weekly fee to join a program like Weight Watchers is completely out of the question.  As an incentive to take part in this kind of preventative care, Dr. Cummings would also include a wellness tax credit for those who voluntarily made healthy choices over the course of a year.  She models this after the well established cost cutting practice in which private corporations offer financial incentives to their employees for making positive lifestyle changes.

The final part of her plan would revolve around making healthy lifestyles more of a focus in our communities and schools by doing things like bringing back Physical Education, putting a stronger emphasis on highly nutritious food in school vending machines and cafeterias, and investing in programs that would make communities more friendly to physical activities like bicycling.   A study prepared by the American Heart Association suggests that quality Physical Education in school can not only have a significant impact on the long term health of students but can also help to improve their grades.  I emphasize the word quality in the preceding sentence as I have first hand experience in how poor physical education can do just the opposite.

The most appealing aspect of the plan presented here is that it is based on carrots and not sticks.  Dr. Cummings seeks to offer incentives to Americans for getting healthy instead of taking away rights or punishing those of us who fall out of the realm of a “healthy” BMI.  If we, as a country, implemented a plan like hers we could take a huge step forward in reigning in our obesity problem AND put a huge dent in our growing health care budget without restricting the freedom of choice.  I personally see it as a Win/Win situation.