Health insurance profile
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Health insurance profile |
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GOOD NEWS FOR FIT AND HEALTHY PEOPLE On September 12th 2005, the Australian Government Minister for Health, Tony Abbott announced that the Government is considering introducing a health insurance rate for people who can prove they're fit and healthy. This is very good news. Very good news indeed. In fact it's the best news to come out of the Ministry of Health this century.
It recognizes for the first time that the reason why surgeries and hospitals are full to over-flowing is that people are not in good shape and it's going to do something about it by stimulating the hip pocket nerve.
It acknowledges that regular folks who spend a bit of time, effort and money keeping themselves fit and healthy are being ripped off and money gouged out of their pockets to pay for the junk medical and pharmaceutical treatments of those who couldn't care less.
It is acknowledged that in this society by far the greater proportion of medical services are devoted to masking the symptoms of body system dysfunctions caused by lifestyle neglect.
The first movement in any successful public health policy is the stimulation of the hip pocket nerve. Three cheers; at last we've got a health policy designed to encourage people to keep themselves fit and healthy that transcends vapid TV commercials, posters on office notice boards and circuses in parks with blow up castles, parachutes and earth balls.
Hitherto the lion's share of health subsidies have always gone to those lining up for junk pharmaceuticals. For too long the fit and healthy have been discriminated against in having to pay the same premiums for health insurance as the unfit and unhealthy. Let's hope that this move by the Minister for Health foreshadows the announcement by his mate, the Treasurer that that dreadful tax on health and fitness, the GST, is to be taken off fitness centre memberships!
No-one every got fitter and healthier by going to a doctor. They don't have pressing medical conditions; in the main they're experiencing the pain and discomfort that comes with body system dysfunction; they're not in great shape. For instance, high blood pressure is not a medical condition; it's not caused by a lack of Avpro, any more than diabetes is caused by a lack of Diabex, a crook back by a lack of Celebrex, elevated cholesterol by a lack of Lipitor, depression by a lack of Zoloft, headache by a lack of Panadeine or piles by a lack of Anusol.
The Minister's announcement also has the potential to flow on into the workers compensation and income protection insurance arenas where premiums can be rated against risk.
HEALTH INSURANCE HEALTH AND FITNESS PROFILE In response to the Minister's announcement Miller Health has designed an objective health and fitness profile that we're recommending the Minister adopt as a way of determining who's fit and who isn't.
It contains 10 test items. It's easy to administer and can be done at home or under supervision at any fitness centre. It's readily achievable by fit and healthy people.
Age shouldn't have much to do with it until you're well into your 60's: - in fact it's an advantage, you've had longer to train and longer to get over the excesses of your youth!
See how you go - and report back.
We reckon the Minister ought to give you $20 a week off your insurance if you can score over 90, $15 a week off if you can get over 80, and $10 a week off if you can get over 70. You're a safe bet.
There's one proviso. Some fit people are at risk of draining the medical insurance system due to the stress their physical activities place on their musculo-skeletal system. We'd recommend health insurance premiums be lowered further for those who take out musculo-skeletal injury insurance.
The standards are readily achievable by people who have a regular and systematic aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility training program. If you're having trouble achieving the standards, train harder!
The profile includes a couple of tests to check health fundamentals - blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and aerobic fitness. (Strange isn't it that measuring aerobic fitness, one of the best and cheapest ways to evaluate body system function hasn't yet hit the surgery!)
Give yourself a score out of ten, appropriate for your performance on each of the 12 parameters below. A good score is a high score. A poor score is a low score.
RISK There are risks involved in doing this series of tests, particularly if you're not in great physical shape. You could strain a muscle or sprain a ligament or tendon. You could have a heart attack. Just in case, you might like to get yourself checked out by your doctor just to make sure that you're not going to have a heart attack after a couple of laps of the aerobic fitness test. But often the doctor won't know whether you're a candidate for a heart attack, so use your common sense and don't go flat out unless you're in good nick and used to going flat out.
DISCLAIMER The Health insurance Health and fitness profile is designed to measure the health and fitness of normal fit and healthy human beings.
Miller Health accepts no responsibility for anything untoward that happens to you when you're doing any of these tests. How can we? You do them at your own risk. If you think the risk is too high, don't do them. If it hurts or you feel distressed during any of the activities, stop doing them.
We strongly advise people to measure their blood pressure before doing the rest of the tests. If it is very high - like over 160/100, we strongly recommend you don't do the aerobic fitness test. On the other hand we recommend that people with high blood pressure start a graduated exercise and lifestyle change program designed to get blood pressure back to normal. For more advice go to fact sheets.
SCORING The pass-mark on each item is 7/10. If you're fit and healthy, anyone of working age will have no difficulty in reaching the pass mark.
Add the appropriate co-efficient (based on the rating of importance of the item in an health and fitness profile) to your score.
Attained more than 7/10 on all items Yes o No o
Attained more than 70/100 Yes o No o
YOUR HEALTH AND FITNESS IS ASSESSED AS: -
If your overall score was less than 70 and you scored less than 7/10 on some items, we suggest you slip on your a short-sleeved shirt, shorts and sandshoes and start sweating.
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Miller Health conducts a range of health and fitness assessments for corporate organisations, including Fitness Musculo-skeletal Diet Chemical intake Stress Career satisfaction Cardiac and diabetes risk Occupational health and fitness Elite force fitness Platinum Challenge Some of the assessments are done on-on-one. Others can be done with groups of people during a seminar presentation.
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Good news for fit and healthy people TONY ABBOTT, TAKE A BOW On September 12th 2005, the Australian Government Minister for Health, Tony Abbott announced that the Government is considering introducing a health insurance rate for people who can prove they're fit and healthy. This is very good news. Very good news indeed. In fact it's the best news to come out of the Ministry of Health this century.
It recognizes for the first time that the reason why surgeries and hospitals are full to over-flowing is that people are not in good shape and it's going to do something about it by stimulating the hip pocket nerve.
It acknowledges that regular folks who spend a bit of time, effort and money keeping themselves fit and healthy are being ripped off and money gouged out of their pockets to pay for the junk medical and pharmaceutical treatments of those who couldn't care less.
It is acknowledges that in this society by far the greater proportion of medical services are devoted to masking the symptoms of body system dysfunctions caused by lifestyle neglect.
The first movement in any successful public health policy is the stimulation of the hip pocket nerve. Three cheers; at last we've got a health policy designed to encourage people to keep themselves fit and healthy that transcends vapid TV commercials, posters on office notice boards and circuses in parks with blow up castles, parachutes and earth balls.
Hitherto the lion's share of health subsidies have always gone to those lining up for junk pharmaceuticals. For too long the fit and healthy have been discriminated against in having to pay the same premiums for health insurance as the unfit and unhealthy. Let's hope that this move by the Minister for Health foreshadows the announcement by his mate, the Treasurer that that dreadful tax on health and fitness, the GST, is to be taken off fitness centre memberships!
No-one every got fitter and healthier by going to a doctor. They don't have pressing medical conditions; in the main they're experiencing the pain and discomfort that comes with body system dysfunction; they're not in great shape. For instance, high blood pressure is not a medical condition; it's not caused by a lack of Avpro, any more than diabetes is caused by a lack of Diabex, a crook back by a lack of Celebrex, elevated cholesterol by a lack of Lipitor, depression by a lack of Zoloft, headache by a lack of Panadeine or piles by a lack of Anusol.
The Minister's announcement also has the potential to flow on into the workers compensation and income protection insurance arenas where premiums can be rated against risk.
So, Tony Abbott, take a bow.
HEALTH INSURANCE HEALTH AND FITNESS PROFILE In response to the Minister's announcement Miller Health has designed an objective health and fitness profile that we're recommending the Minister adopt as a way of determining who's fit and who isn't.
It contains 10 test items. It's easy to administer and can be done at home or under supervision at any fitness centre. It's readily achievable by fit and healthy people.
Age shouldn't have much to do with it until you're well into your 60's: - in fact it's an advantage, you've had longer to train and longer to get over the excesses of your youth!
See how you go - and report back.
We reckon the Minister ought to give you $20 a week off your insurance if you can score over 90, $15 a week off if you can get over 80, and $10 a week off if you can get over 70. You're a safe bet.
There's one proviso. Some fit people are at risk of draining the medical insurance system due to the stress their physical activities place on their musculo-skeletal system. We'd recommend health insurance premiums be lowered further for those who take out musculo-skeletal injury insurance.
The standards are readily achievable by people who have a regular and systematic aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility training program. If you're having trouble achieving the standards, train harder!
The profile includes a couple of tests to check health fundamentals - blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and aerobic fitness. (Strange isn't it that measuring aerobic fitness, one of the best and cheapest ways to evaluate body system function hasn't yet hit the surgery!)
Give yourself a score out of ten, appropriate for your performance on each of the 12 parameters below. A good score is a high score. A poor score is a low score.
RISK There are risks involved in doing this series of tests, particularly if you're not in great physical shape. You could strain a muscle or sprain a ligament or tendon. You could have a heart attack. Just in case, you might like to get yourself checked out by your doctor just to make sure that you're not going to have a heart attack after a couple of laps of the aerobic fitness test. But often the doctor won't know whether you're a candidate for a heart attack, so use your common sense and don't go flat out unless you're in good nick and used to going flat out.
DISCLAIMER The Health insurance Health and fitness profile is designed to measure the health and fitness of normal fit and healthy human beings.
Miller Health accepts no responsibility for anything untoward that happens to you when you're doing any of these tests. How can we? You do them at your own risk. If you think the risk is too high, don't do them. If it hurts or you feel distressed during any of the activities, stop doing them.
We strongly advise people to measure their blood pressure before doing the rest of the tests. If it is very high - like over 160/100, we strongly recommend you don't do the aerobic fitness test. On the other hand we recommend that people with high blood pressure start a graduated exercise and lifestyle change program designed to get blood pressure back to normal. For more advice go to fact sheets.
SCORING The pass-mark on each item is 7/10.
The only score which does not require a compulsory pass of 7/10 is item 5, flexibility - there are a lot of very fit people who are not all that flexible. They're still in good health, though for regular folks, lack of flexibility of the muscles along the back side of your body is a symptom of risk of back, neck and shoulder dysfunction.
Add the appropriate co-efficient (based on the rating of importance of the item in an health and fitness profile) to your score.
Passed all compulsory items Yes o No o
Attained more than 70/100 Yes o No o
YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE HEALTH AND FITNESS IS ASSESSED AS: -
■ Excellent if you scored over 90 o ■ Very good if you scored over 80 o ■ Good if you scored over 70 o ■ Not up to scratch o - if you scored less than 70 and scored less than 7/10 on the compulsory items
If you scored less than 70 we suggest you slip on your shorts, sandshoes and start moving.
You, the individual can do more for your own health than any doctor, any hospital, any drug, any exotic medical advice US Surgeon General 1979
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