May 8, 2008 
With rising food costs and constantly increasing costs for health insurance, could health become a luxury? It’s an interesting (and sad question).
Let’s take a pessimistic view of the situation for someone living in poverty:
- Fast food is probably cheaper than many health foods.
- The working poor likely have less time to exercise and no money to belong to a gym.
- The working poor may have more than one job to make ends meet and/or may work in an environment which is hazardous to their health.
- Financial stress could impact sleep which impacts obesity.
- Access to quality health providers may be limited based on location and/or access to transportation.
I saw an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about this, and it made me think. Talk about a long-term crisis. This is a great rallying call for why reform is necessary.
Enabling Healthy Decisions 
You don’t need health foods to be healthy. Eat the basics, temper the red meat, fruits instead of processed sweets. It’s cheaper than fast foods.
You don’t need a gym membership to stay fit. Invest in a set of free weights ($50), and a jump rope ($5). If you’ve got another $100, invest in a combination pull-up/dip bar. These things plus discipline is all you need.
Working conditions can be a problem. So is financially related stress.
Access is not just limited by geograhy or proximity, but also finances.
Health care will become more affordable when we stop paying billions of dollars to keep the extreme elderly alive. U.S. thinking on death needs to be refocused. It is inevible for all of us. The value of delaying it is not always worth the cost. Of course, the medical profession will fight this thinking because latter year care is their bread and butter.
What a depressingly provocative thought… one that seems to be becoming the case.