In chapter 9, we are joined by Linda Rosenstock to talk about healthcare and the various factors that influence it. Linda has 20 years of experience in clinical medicine, she was appointed by the Clinton and Obama administrations to advise on issues in public health, and she served as the dean of the UCLA School of Public Health for 12 years.

Enjoy!

– Kenny and Andy

Listen to the Science

Linda opens with the fact that we all have biases and there will be disagreements, the most important things is that we all agree on the science and the facts. Linda explains the idea of loss prevention, which explains how investing in education like family planning actually will eliminate losses down the line. She follows-up by explaining how affordable healthcare, or Obama care, highlighting where it succeeded and where it fell short.

Linda is very humble in admitting that she often changes her stance as she learns more. When it comes to nutrition she has shifted her stance from what the national standard recommended to newer ideas that emphasize quality of calories. She contrasts this with the stereotypical physician, saying that they are often not great listeners to those outside of their school of thought. Science, according to Linda, in its truest form should constantly be changing and never settling.

“In public health, we save lives of millions at a time.” — Linda Rosenstock

Key Takeaways

• The 97/3 Problem  —  97 percent of our current healthcare dollars go to treating people who are already sick. There is little concern with prevention, with consideration of the factors of causing sickness.
• Based on the Science  —  Linda has a simple philosophy in that all policy should be created based on the very best science at the time, recognizing its limitations. Then work the players to get the best outcome.
• Educate the public  —  The largest impact that we can have on the healthcare system and helping people to stay well is to actually educate the public. This allows people to understand potential conditions and prevent disease.
• As a society, we all pick up the bill for health care  —  Someone failing to have health insurance is not a victimless crime. We ultimately all end up covering the bill.
• Team building  —  The future of healthcare is to take a holistic approach rather than having individuals operating exclusively within their own disciplines. There should be a line of communication between all parts of healthcare.

“Evidence plus human beings equals fitness.” — Kenny Kane

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