We are hearing a great deal about healthcare these days but not perhaps how much of our health rests in our own hands.  At least 50% of our health can be impacted by the lifestyle choices we make – smoking, drinking, sedentary, diet, etc.  We would probably love to believe that our ills are all determined by genetics, giving us the “there’s nothing we can do” excuse for inaction.  The reality, however, is far more balanced and the stacks are rising if we make poor choices.

According to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, 45% of the total US population has at least one chronic disease and chronic disease overall is responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths.  The US medical system spends approximately twice as much on preventable health conditions resulting from obesity than on cancer and obesity costs employers more than smoking or alcoholism.  Obesity is responsible for 39 million lost work days and 63 million physician visits. 

So what are some enterprising employers doing to reward personal accountability for health and create a culture of prevention?  I ran across a new program pioneered by Virgin HealthMiles.  Their Pay-for-Prevention approach takes wellness initiatives to a new level.  The Model offers flexible choices that suit an individual’s lifestyle, fun challenges, ongoing feedback and motivation through social engagement.  Tracking tools are streamlined and user-friendly, offering employees and employers alike real-time feedback regarding the overall health of the individual and the workforce.  Timely information allows organizations and individuals alike to maximize their wellness strategies and manage health care costs. 

Just as we were always told, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

The average employee will now have 13-15 jobs over the life of their career.  By the time they reach the age of 30, they will have had seven.  A far cry from the “employment for life” relationships of Silent generation workers, younger generations are pushing for more frequent performance feedback and on-going development knowing that they have to stay marketable.  In the age of no job security, all generations are recognizing the necessity to function as free agents.  Baby Boomers are today the largest group to swarm the social networks, many using the power of these on-line connections to find new employment opportunities. 

More than at any time in our past, we are all being pressed to evaluate our strengths and limitations constantly - matching ourselves well to our work and closing performance and knowledge gaps.  Without an ability to show how we contribute to positive results daily, we lose short and long-term value to our employers.  The tenets of  job security have changed forever – no longer based on tenure and loyalty, now linked directly to individual performance and contributions.

Age discrimination claims are on the rise, reaching 30% in 2008.  Entry level workers are struggling to find their first career job, returning home from college jobless in record numbers.   The unemployment rate for persons age 55 and over, while slightly better than their juniors, more than doubled in a year and a half.  Both men and women are being downsized and the duration of unemployment is increasing. 

Pounded by the stock market, money market and the mortgage debacles, older workers and retirees have lost an estimated $2 trillion, 22% of the value.  36% of workers have no pension or IRA whatsoever.  And, of course, we know about the millions without healthcare coverage. 

Social security claims are on the rise with Baby Boomers responding to employment decisions but also due to the family benefits the program offers.  In 2008, 51 million people received Social Security benefits, 15 million of those were under age 65 (disabled workers, children, spouses, widows/widowers and parents).  Only 63% of Social Security benefits pay retired workers.  And we haven’t accounted for even a fraction of the debt mounting for Generations X and Y, potentially burying them fiscally before they’ve even had the chance to earn, save and succeed. 

Perhaps the most critical measure is the change in poverty levels since the recession began in December of 2007.  While not yet available, we can only surmise what the data may show about the economic insecurity for millions of Americans - potentially the most compelling argument for creating cost-effective social support programs.

Are you Red or are you Blue?  I suspect that without any explanation you know that I’m referring to the political color-coding used by television reporters to flag voting outcomes.  Somewhere along the line, though, this seemingly innocuous way of reporting results has apparently lead us to believe that we can’t have ideologies, opinions or philosophies that aren’t somehow connected to one of only two political parties. 

Or is there something more sinister at foot?  Recently a prestigious university found that despite our open access to more factual information, we tend to only seek out the information that agrees with our already held beliefs.  Not only are we seeking out sources of information that concur with our views, we’re also moving to live with those of like mind.  Now entire neighborhoods, cities and states are defined by a political point of view.  While increasing our individual comfort zones on our own “turf”, does this limited view have the potential of tearing the country apart? 

Bill Bishop, author of The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart, makes a compelling case for how we’re losing our national identity, our openness to diversity and potentially our ability to innovate and adapt.   “The reason like-minded groups get more extreme over time is that people always want to be a little bit more extreme than the group is as a whole so they’re not mistaken for an outsider.”  Sound familiar?  It should and it should make you afraid, very afraid.  As conflicts between groups intensify along with an unwillingness to hear other views, is the logical outcome at best, inaction or at its worst, violence?  If we won’t stay open to learning from each other where we are of like mind, how will we ever live out the principles that made this country great and interpret them accurately for the generations to come?  If we fail, hopefully our children will have learned how critical it is to resurrect the Spirit of America.

Over those last great years before the “crash”, cosmetic surgery and anti-aging skincare grew by double digits.  It appears that when we had more money than sense, we could take dramatic approaches to aging and appearance.  Right now, I recognize that none of us thinks we have money.  With all the pressures and predictaments we face today, we are probably also feeling that self-actualizing is irrelevant in the face of funding basic needs.  We’re all back at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy. 

While our appearance certainly affects how we feel about ourselves, one has to wonder how much of our Botox or body and facelifts are actually masking more serious self-esteem issues.  Recently I learned about a high school student who opted for cosmetic surgery because of out-of-control criticism from a classmate on Facebook.   This is only one of a long list of examples where I fear we’re more focused on how we appear to the world than improving the world by activating our personal goodness.   I’m going to urge us to refocus on getting our world house in order instead of putting a new coat of color over peeling paint. 

 Kudos to Dove and Walmart for promoting our inner beauty! http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/

Sad news for the everyman of retirement, he’s been laid-off.  With a longevity bonus of from 20 to 40 years past the traditional retirement age of 65, there is no common picture of retirement or a retiree today.  Baby Boomers are pioneering once again in a world full of harsh realities.  How and if we retire will depend on a plethora of factors that will vary widely by individuals – married or single, childcare or childless, eldercare or empty nest, no house or several homes, working our way up the career ladder or downshifting into a role for a cause, living here at home or migrating overseas.  The picture of retirement from today forward will be as diverse as our population itself.  In fact, we ought to change the name.  Got an alternative for “retirement”?  Love to hear your suggestions.

40% of caregiving is done by men today.   And you thought he wasn’t listening during the ’til death due us part speech!

It’s busted, folks.  We can tell each other lies and try to scare everybody to death but the bottom line is that the healthcare system in the US is broken.  Okay, so you don’t like any of the plans on the table.  Fine.  Propose better ones but the fact is we’re all one major illness away from bankruptcy.  Think I’m kidding?

68% of all personal bankruptcies in the US in 2007 were caused by health problems.  I know, you’re thinking these folks were derelict and didn’t have insurance.  Wrong.  78% of those who filed HAD INSURANCE;  60.3% of them had private insurance, not Medicare or Medicaid.   

Just a bad year, you say?  In 1981, only 8% of personal bankruptcies were due to health problems; in 2001, it was 50%.   Seems we’re living through decades full of “bad years”. 

And then there’s the collatoral damage of the resultant death spiral – inability to get a job because of concern about explaining the health issues and absences to an employer.  No employer, no health insurance.  Pre-existing conditions; poor health risk; no health insurance.   29% of us are using credit cards to pay medical expenses.  YIKES!   That’s right, bankruptcy; no credit; no credit card.  Living in my car. 

The source of this unsettling information?  A recent study released by Harvard.  Pretty credible guys, I’d say. 

Still think the system is just fine?  I’d stay very healthy if I were you.

What brilliant idea; what surefire opportunity; what “can’t pass this up” deal have you rejected in the last year?  I wouldn’t say “none” too quickly.  Even the captains of industry can lack vision. 

“Shortly after WWII, the whole of Volkswagen – factory, patents and all – were offered to Henry Ford II for FREE!!”  Yes, for free.  Dismissing the Bug as a bad design, he passed on one of the best selling vehicles of all time.  Think we would be bailing out the Big 3 automakers today if they had more vision?? 

And what about you and your organization?  What seemingly crazy idea have you passed on or are going to pass on that could save mankind or at least make the world a better place?  I’d be going back through the trash can about now.

If you’re in the “know” in the art world these days, I’m sure you know about Des Moines, Iowa.  One of the top 5 art fairs in the US; a new 40-million dollar sculpture park; the East Village artist conclave – not ringing a bell?  We’re one of the top 10 hippest places in the country.  Still no bells?  Well then, you need a jolt to your cool factor.  Tune to KFMG – they stream worldwide on the net – and listen to John geek culture.   Want a little sample first?  Check this out.