John Cawley, professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University and co-director of the Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors and Disparities, comments on the draft 2012 GOP platform, which says that a far greater emphasis has to be placed on personal responsibility for health maintenance in light of rising healthcare costs related to obesity and other lifestyle choices.
Cawley says:
“I agree that some proposed anti-obesity initiatives are too narrow or easily circumvented, but to suggest that personal responsibility alone is the solution is overly simplistic and ignores straightforward, low-cost things that the government can do to help.
“There are several policies that the U.S. government can pursue to help prevent obesity. For example, the nationwide menu labeling law included in the 2010 PPACA that requires chain restaurants to post calorie counts next to menu items facilitates personal responsibility by allowing consumers to make informed choices.
“Another example is that we could restrict the use of food stamps to healthy foods - as in the WIC program - and no longer allow them to be spent on energy-dense, nutrient-free products. Moreover, organizations such as the CDC have long advocated higher-quality school meals and physical education to instill healthy habits in children.”
Contact Syl Kacapyr for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.
RSS