Seattle - At a press conference this evening Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Kent), chair of the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee, discussed the growing medical evidence about the disastrous health consequences -- and budgetary burden -- of sedentary lifestyles.
Keiser cited two academic studies. One in January's American Heart Association journal, which found that "those who watched more than four hours [of television] a day had a 46 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 80 percent increased risk for [cardiovascular disease]-related death".
Another study, from the University of Missouri, estimates that a quarter of a million Americans will die each year from "Sedentary Death Syndrome", and that the total cost of extra medical expenses for treating sedentary-related ill health will reach $3 trillion over 10 years.
This is what happens with government health care -- it becomes the duty of every busybody in government to tell you how to live.
"The good news", Keiser said, "is that health care reform will provide millions of dollars in new health care funding for the people of Washington. But the state still has an obligation to fund health care.
And we're just not going to be able to fund as much as we like, given the limits of our ability to raise taxes in this economy. So with that, we're all going to have to come together as a state and help each other lead healthier lifestyles and reduce our collective health expenses."
And Keiser's idea of "helping each other lead healthier lifestyles" means -- "nudging" people sitting comfortably in their living rooms to get up and take frequent stretch breaks. As in her amendment to the Basic Health Plan budget requires, get this, that
All new armchairs and sofas with cushions of three inches of thickness or greater, sold at retail in the state of Washington after 2015 shall be equipped with timers that emit an audible alarm at intervals of not more than twenty minutes.
The requirement will not apply to dining room style chairs, office chairs, or "sofa-beds when configured for sleeping".
And between now and 2015, there will be an extra excise tax of 5% on the sale of all new couches and comfy chairs that are not fitted with the special alarms. |