Government Healthcare Goals Fell Short Last Decade

01/08/2010

A decade ago, the federal government laid out ambitious public health targets that in theory, would have improved the nation's quality of life and positively affected things like health insurance premiums. However, a recent report finds that many of these goals never came close to being met.

An Associated Press article cites some of the government's new findings. For example, 34 percent of American adults are now considered obese, although back in 2000, the government was hoping to bring that figure down from about 25 percent to 15 percent.

Another example cited was the current 29 percent of Americans with high blood pressure. In 2000, that figure stood at 28 percent, and the government had been hoping to bring that down to 16 percent over the past decade.

In total, only about one-fifth of the total health goals sought by the government were said to have been met, although there are reportedly some bright spots, like an increase in childhood vaccination and lower cancer death rates.

While it remains to be seen if such goals are practical on a national level, those who do commit themselves to getting healthier will find that they can avoid chronic medical conditions, pay less for insurance over time, and live longer.

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