@miljko Agreed that various U.S. policies have made healthier lifestyles almost a counter-cultural luxury pursuit; but I also think U.S. economic structures of how we pay for healthcare snarls things up quite a bit as well. And don't get me started on access.
@annahavron Hah, yes, there is so much waste. But it's not like fixing waste would improve outcomes — it's a case of true, true, and unrelated. If anything, focusing on the underlying causes of bad health might do more to decrease waste. "Counter-cultural luxury pursuit" is a beatufiul turn of phrase, by the way.
@annahavron Well, both outcomes and prices. I think there are two ways to look at it:
Mind you, I think the answer is a little bit of (or a lot of!) both, but number 1 is overemphasized.
@miljko Agreed! And yes: the emphasis is on 1, very much less so on 2. And you're spot on that past American policies (and to a degree, I would also argue, the culture - e.g. workaholism, the romanticization of guns) seem almost designed to thwart the kind of healthy lifestyle one might enjoy simply by going about one's day. Walking to do errands. Having a greengrocer nearby.