Rebecca Onie: What if our healthcare system kept us healthy? 

As a Public Health Major I really enjoyed this and inspire to hopefully have this type of impact!

These are revolutionary words on so many levels. She isn't afraid to problematize the obvious, isn't afraid to say "NO, poverty and disease aren't self-evident". She isn't afraid to be honest, and she doesn't feel the need to complicate the problem in order to make it important to her listeners. Making changes doesn't start with logic, statistics and economic calculation, it begins with radical ideas, to which the environment can be adjusted. I hope this gets more views.

"When you have a vision, you have an obligation to realize that vision." I couldn't agree more

The crazy part about this, this was uploaded in 2012 and only 108,000 views. Where in more cases than none you can get more views watching people eat spicy wings than something that matters. Well done world, you never cease to amaze me..

Brilliant, - impassioned, rational and inspirational! The only thing missing was a call for patients to share the responsibility for their own health. Part of the system that Rebecca identifies as problematic is the traditional role of the doctor as expert who takes responsibility for health outcomes and the role of the patient who has been trained to be passive and compliant, but not proactively responsible for making healthy choices

Then they wouldn't be able to make a bunch of money off people's suffering.

This is the kind of TED talk I like. Havent had one touch me like this in a long time. Very inspirational. Thank you. Im donating at Health Leads right now

I go to a community college (thank you federal services), and I work my ass off finding odd-jobs to pay for what needs it next. It's unfair that some people have had the luck to find jobs. Real, consistently paying jobs. Denying something as important as healthcare is, again, based in the fear of giving money to the undeserving and disregards the notion of hurting those that have been supremely unlucky in life.

Now that's what I call an amazing caring being. Yes "Health Care" the one that really cares. Thank you Rebecca.

I was quite interested in Rebecca's perspective on how our healthcare system could maintain our health. She deserves praise for her efforts and the way she articulated her insightful and fascinating perspective on healthcare inequities and the idea that wellness begins at home. I paused and wondered, "What would I say?" when she asked doctors, "If you had limitless resources, what is one thing you would give your patients?" Perhaps justice and home health would be my responses. It is quite intriguing to learn how crucial it is to have our basic needs met in order to have a foundation on which to build our health and happiness when you truly dig into the issues. The doctor could prescribe all the antibiotics in the world for an ear infection, but for the child who has no food, or even perhaps a bed, they are only addressing a portion of the issue, as Rebecca mentioned in the video. Without the nutrients we get from fresh food and vegetables, the importance of a good night's sleep, a warm and sanitary place to live, and clean water. The child will thereafter need to return frequently for treatment. I don't think we frequently all know that when we hear about health disparities that they exist in our own cities, in every city in the Nation. I am quite impressed with the doctors' efforts to deliver justice-that is, the ethical concept of treating every patient fairly, especially in light of limited resources-to those who were in need. They recommended food for the undernourished and heat for the cold. In addition to discovering and developing community resources for all those in need, it is my desire to contribute to efforts to deliver equitable and equal healthcare to patients.

The Health Leads model is an inspiration. The same kinds of interventions that Health Leads volunteers offer to disadvantaged children would be outstanding services for vulnerable older adults.

this video raises important ethical questions about the role of healthcare in society. Onie argues that the healthcare system focus too much on treating illness and disease rather than addressing the social and environmental factors that contribute to poor health outcomes. One response to her is that healthcare should be viewed as a fundamental human right, rather than a commodity or privilege. In order to truly achieve health equity, it is essential that all individuals have access to quality healthcare that addresses both physical and social determinants of health. It is important to consider the impact of social and environmental factors on health outcomes, such as access to healthy food, safe housing, and clean air and water. Addressing these factors requires a collective effort and investment from not only the healthcare system but also from governments, communities, and other stakeholders. I think we should see the importance and recognize the power dynamics at play in the healthcare system, particularly with regards to issues of race, class, and gender. These factors can impact access to healthcare and quality of care received, leading to health disparities that are both unjust and preventable. Overall, the importance to recognize within healthcare, there is a need for a collective effort to address social and environmental factors that contribute to poor health outcomes. This requires a shift in focus from treatment to prevention, and a commitment to health equity and justice for all individuals.

Yep, you know everything! What a wonderful, understanding, and compassionate human being you are! That's probably why I can't find a job in the 3rd worst job area in the United States, I'm just an idiot. Thank you for showing me the light.

The reason why health care is not affordable is due to over regulations. A simple reduction is regulations would lower the cost while raising the quality of health care.

There is a saying that “ An Apple a day Keeps a doctor away”, it is the basic thing for everyone. In this video I have found everything related to a good and healthy food. These days people are busy in visiting the doctor for diseases they have generated by themselves. What if we get the healthy food or a food that has nutrition’s and other things which is good for our health. We don’t have to go the doctor, and yes it is a reality that doctors are curing the diseases and they are giving the medicines which also have the side effects. What it means that you have to take a good care of your health. When you take a healthy diet, your health will be better. One side you are paying for the medicines and on their side, you are also paying for the food. Why not you just pay for the healthy food and save the money.

What's so great about the Health Leads program is it not only provides patients with the services the need, but it educates them as well. Education is what is so desperately needed to be given to these individuals who are living in squalor, or are malnurished in some way. With education, individuals aren't just given a perscription or a new diet plan, they are given a new LIFE plan that they can use for many different areas of their life. Education really is the greatest tool. But one thought that I had while watching this lecture was that this crisis she was describing that occured in the 1960s is happening again RIGHT NOW. With all of the new legislation being put into place about heathcare, and the repeal of the Affordable Health Care Act, people are suffering! There are people starving, people dying, people living an awful quality of life because now, they have no healthcare; it's been stripped from them. Of course, unfortunately, there are always people who are living this way, it's not an old or new concept. But it is espscially apparent in the current times because of what is happening with healthcare. And it is just going to get worse until systems such as Health Leads prevail and allow healthcare to acutally help patients get well.

who dislikes this? awesome talk.

this video spoke to me. There is so much we could do.

In Rebecca Onie's talk "What if our healthcare system kept us healthy?", she emphasizes the need for a healthcare system that not only treats illness but also addresses the root causes of poor health. She highlights the importance of addressing social determinants of health, such as access to healthy food, safe housing, and employment, in addition to medical care. This talk highlights the ethical principle of beneficence, which is the duty to promote the well-being of others. Healthcare professionals have an obligation to address the social determinants of health and work towards creating a system that keeps people healthy, rather than just treating them when they are sick. By taking a more comprehensive approach to healthcare, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

We need minds like this in government if we ever want real change. And not just one or two, a majority.

It is the state that is actually cutting the checks in this case. Private prisons have successfully lobbied against rollbacks in prison terms and instituting rehabilitation programs precisely because the citizens aren't directly feeling the price pressure and have been convinced (in part by private prison lobbies) that "long prison sentences" equals "tough on crime". My point was your analogy was terribly wrong: private business capitalism is exactly upside down from private prisons economics.

Great talk which shows the close correlation between the social/living context for a patient and their health. Also shows great innovation by blending #ehr software solutions and processes to actively trigger an appropriate response to get people eating healthy (as in this example) and the use of the 'waiting room' time for people to learn to be healthy.

You are an amazing presenter! I inspire to be like you! Thank you very much for your work Rebecca!!!

No it hasn't. Our currently run private prisons work to keep more people locked up and to actually increase rates of recidivism because it helps the bottom line. Safety and health are not to be run as for profit businesses. The history and facts are very clear about what happens when basic social services become privatized. It's never a good thing. Again, the problem is policy and politicians, not the fact that we have socialized police force.

no, but I think a free market will offer more services in that area as opposed to a single completely burdensome system in which patent holders currently can use the state to stifle and extort honestly-derived innovation for years on end.

For every dollar spent on preventative medicine you save many more dollars in not having to treat preventable illness and because the patient does not get sick, they are able to work which in turn saves dollars in welfare costs and because they are working they pay taxes and have an income that allows them to buy things which helps the economy so in effect every tax dollar spent on preventable medicine generates more tax dollars in income than are expended. It works in the rest of the world

Private insurance companies are hugely regulated beasts which spend inordinate amounts of time lobbying the state for more regulation which prices out competition. This is the exact opposite of a free market. (cont)

If private prisons are inherently biased to lead to recidivism, why are private garages not biased towards mechanical breakdowns, counsellors biased to abusing their patients, and restaurants biased to leaving their customers hungry? "The history and facts are very clear about what happens when basic social services become privatized. It's never a good thing." Im not sure which history you are referring to?

just one last point (ha, i wish ;) of clarification: dont confuse 'public' with 'state'. A private restaurant is generally open to the public. This is different than public schooling or public housing for example.

Great speech and kudos to following your vision.

This is a very touchy subject. I for one agree with you that things like roads are a service not a contract agreement. But here's the thing, if I go to a barber to get a haircut I pay for the service and go on my way. So it would make sense that I pay for the service of the road I use to get home, however, my taxes hardly go for roads, the money is used on war. I didn't gain a service from the war... why am I paying for it? Additionally Society doesn't need Government to survive nor function.

she has already shown that it is making a difference! The college students who go on to become "providers" ask the interventional questions and mobilize the UPSTREAM supports to get people healthy...

I find it sad that there still are first world countries that don't have proper preventative healthcare. I know I'm enjoying the healthcare services here in Denmark - and we do save a lot of money by spending small resources keeping people from getting so sick that they need to go to the hospital.

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE Is to be free to do whatever you want as long as that doesn't impede other peoples ability to do what they want. (its not possible to be perfect because everyone is different. Just take this as the guide to a balanced life) And a fulfilling life is one led in the pursuit of others freedom.

Non sequitur? How is this mundane and banal? Medicine only treats the disease - a much smarter idea is to prevent it. It may lack that "wow" factor you crave so much, but the problem she is talking about is by far the biggest failing of the health sector (and therefore of much greater significance than a new fringe drug). I loved it when she mentioned the doctor telling the bureaucrat why he shouldn't get in trouble for prescribing food! Really sorry that it didn't excite you in the right way.

My class brought me here. But she aont lyin yall. This is truth.

The citizens are the ones paying for the service (unless you mean its the state paying, in which case its hardly a free market example). If they are not motivated to ensure a prison system that meets their civil sensibilities how on earth can they be trusted to vote for politicians that will force them to?

oh internet trolls, why can't you just take the knowledge and hope this woman provides and put it to good use. great video :)

Doesn't change the fact that there are 3 times as many applicants as there are job openings here. Being a good employee means shit when you can't find work. When you can't find work because there is none, you have reason to complain.

Epiccccccc. Had me on the verge of tears a number of times. 2 SW's for 24k patients. That is incredible.

In a free market, there would not "be only 3 energy companies" when there is profit to be made. The situation you describe is what in fact happens when a few corporate entities (ie state protected) lobby the government for increased regulation to raise barriers to entry for new competition. (ie non free market). Even then when companies collude, it provides a huge economic incentive for a new (or one of the original) companies to underprice its competitors and gain a larger share. try again?

then the question would be, where do we start? and who would determine how much food each person would get? what is the cut off for how much food a malnourished person can get? and how would we keep track of it? because there are places like food pantries and whatnot that that can help so would it be the same basic principle?

In order to be healthy in America, you have to be extraordinary because the norms are to sit in front of the television and eat. Daily exercise is a must: make a home exercise space and make time for it. All meals should include fruits and vegetables. Cook large one-pot meals and freeze leftovers and choose only healthy recipes. You will be healthier and save time. Give up sugar. Maintain a social safety net.

Though we have police we have the choice to not allow them into our households, with unified healthcare we are being told what we can and can't eat (New York attempting to illegalize large sodas,)Are told what procedures we must have, which we can have, and how often we get them, (I am constantly being further denied services for my back injury because so many people are using back injuries for false claims). Overall the more the governement runs an industry, they more the get rights of control.

I find some of these comments absolutely uncalled for. This is why the US is going to hell in a handbasket. Nobody wants to help their fellow neighbor and because of that nothing is goign to improve. There will be more and more poor people and uneducated people.

Great talk and even better idea!

Never did I think about this perspective of health care. People usually get sick because of the fact that they do not have a healthy environment in the home. For insurance purposes though, I don't know how that kind of billing would work. This seems like more of a job of social workers, therapist, etc. I think the doctor's role should still be with disease and sickness treatment and prevention. They did not go to school for 8 plus years just to prescribe heat for your home. Not at all am I bashing this idea. I do believe that she is correct when saying a lot of times people are sick because of the fact that live in terrible situations. But instead of putting another task on a doctor's shoulders, lets better make known the resources that are out there. She is very valid on the idea that health care does not always keep us healthy. Pretty much you use your health care when you are already sick. I think this preventative form needs to be an added branch of the health care system already in place. But where do we start this? What's the best way to get this information out to those who need it the best? Also, maybe this is something that can be put into place in schools. I think this is something that could be beneficial to our health care system. As well as it would keep people out of clinics and ER's because it was preventable. Good ideas, but implementation needs tweaked. However, I supportive the concept.

You're essentially saying that if I have 10 kids, and I can't afford anything for any of them, the system should take them and save them. Yet the problem with that is the country has a set budget on health. And because this speech is about giving people basic human living conditions, not taking away children, you'd give me enough to support 10 kids. Which takes away from possibly 10 separate families with 10 kids. I get all of it though.

uh no.., but anyone who decides to use privately owned + operated youtube, abides by their terms of service, including the provisions they layout (as an enticement) to resolve disputes. If their dispute resolution service annoys too many potential users, then YT is incentivized to alter accordingly if they choose.

We limit the amount of doctors that can become doctors. More doctors would mean more people competing for your health care dollars and thus lower prices. Second there are procedures that nurses can do but are not allowed to because by law only a doctor perform them. This artificially raises the cost of health care as well.

Maybe she is diabetic, which can result in more body mass. Its not just food and low excersize that can make people heavier. Now, as somebody from the US, I can understand that this might be confusing for you, seeing as MOST people there do get heavier because of oversaturated fast food, because healthier food is actually more expensive.

Firstly, it is NOT about her. Secondly in this society MARKETING and our food and the delivery system is not HEALTHY. Thirdly, she is right about understanding the needs of the most marginalized then make those who are ready to enter a professional system such as the March Madness project...so that AWARENESS is triggered for those providers. RECODING the EMR and health promotion tools..... Re-arranging the logistics....are you getting it???

Point being that free markets don't work for prisons. Citizens don't request new prisons, lobbyists and corporations petition for them. The repeat customers for prisons are prisoners not citizens, they get money per prisoner not per citizen kept safe. The reason we have the highest incarceration rate is precisely because of the free market going too far. Frivolous laws are never repealed and constantly defended by people with a self interest in this. Along with mandatory minimum sentences.

Sat in my chair and applauded! THANK YOU!!

I do. They're very nice people. They work hard to pay rent and pay for school and some of them never have any luxuries or get to party because they can't afford it, but they deal with it.

Amazing talk, truly inspiring!

Most of us would rather law enforcement be only on the local level. We are one country, but we are very different across states, even with our laws. We have an issue with any "free" service, other than basic oversight, national defense, and international affairs coming out of federal income tax. You realize we have this whole National police system, then a state one, then a county one, then a city one. It should stop at State, not National, and many of us would rather it be privatized.

I grew up in the US but as an adult live in Belgium. I agree the US needs a univeral healthcare system, but the heathcare system I've seen in Europe is far worse than the treatment I've received in the US. In Belgium I've had much longer waits and poor treatment while the US was more expensive but I actually got good care in a reasonable amount of time.

One of the keys to managing chronic health problems is for the patient to be educated and self-sufficient in their own disease management.

I've worked hard all my life, making barely enough money to get my tuition in, I can't even pay for rent most of them time. I came from an abusive family and when I finally left, I moved and moved and moved, not having a home. Was it my mistake to be born in to that family? Was it my mistake that the important officials refused to belief that the abuse came from a single mother? Now that I'm a 23-year-old man, build like a mountain, unable to find extra work to pay for living, what am I to do?

If people don't care about the values you think they should care about, then how can they be trusted to vote in politicians who would enforce them?

This is the same problem with private insurance companies. They reject potential losses and take only people with no current health risks, this leaves a large amount of people with no health care. A complete failure of the free market fantasy. I'd like to hear your justification for why the safety and health of the public should be run as for profit companies. It seems like a huge contradiction of priorities, do you maximize profit, or safety and health? They very rarely coincide in these cases.

Sadly the way our healthcare is increasingly measured is by how much money it's made. We have lots of ways of making money, healthcare is a basic human right and it's appalling that it has become a business when people's lives are at stake.

I am curious.... where you are from if a man say 46 years old has heart trouble and is required to have Coronary artery bypass surgery. How long would it take for him to receive his treatment?

That's like arguing theres no money in regular car maintenance service as mechanics are only interested in large expensive jobs after a car is nearly broken down after years of neglect. However the market (and common sense) say otherwise.

"The bottom line is how we maximize the quality of life for everyone." By protecting the market, which is the best known mechanism for the evolution and exchange of goods and services. "Not this idea that money=motivation " Money is simply a metric for how much someone values something. Disregarding economic value is akin to disregarding gravity when designing a bridge. Its presence is still central to its success or failure whether it offends your sensibilities or not.

There are many non-government ways that I can have security, fire protection.etc. Were suppose to have choice in a free country, what do we have?One police force that enforces its will on everybody else. The amount of police brutality,lies told by police, and just overall corruption in this one size fits all system is astonishing. If there was a security firm that would be less violent and coercive I would pick that but I have NO choice. "easiest slave to control is the one who thinks hes free"

How are taxes theft. The tax rates in the U.S are lower than they've been for a very long time.

In China a practitioner in chinese medicine only gets paid if he keeps his "patient" healthy. in a month where his patient is sick, he doesn't get paid!..That's why traditional chinese medicine is made to detect disbalances in the body, by which it is able to find beginning problems even though a western doctor wouldn't see any symptoms. :-) That's where medicine should be going!

Yes, yes, yes! What a wonderful young lady! I commend her action :)

Yes. Far better to hear about an amazing medicine for a disease, caused by social and economic factors, than it is to prevent the disease in the first place!

Take-Aways : In impoverished neighborhoods across America, poverty is a leading cause of illness. The US health care system is set up to treat ailments rather than to prevent them. Health Leads is a program that tackles the social and economic root causes of illness, and its doctors prescribe food and heat to those in need, just as they would drugs. Health Leads’ medics assemble detailed electronic patient histories that provide doctors with crucial information to make appropriate clinical assessments and provide treatment beyond the examining room. This approach transforms the clinic waiting room into an arena where volunteers can intervene to help improve patients’ living conditions. Operating such a program requires enormous manpower. Health Leads recruits and develops student advocates in a manner similar to college athletic programs.

ie would you pay into a prison system in your area that churns out more dangerous criminals or would you be more inclined to contribute to other models that made better use of your resources?

ah, but there may be a loophole: MEDICAL INSURANCE. it can be in an insurance company's best interest to keep it's clients healthy via preventative health-care measures. In this way an insurance company can play the role of the nanny. Dunno if it works in practice, an idea though.

Much more efficient! Promoting health and life quality is, compared to caring for sickness only, less expensive, less time consuming, more efficient and better for the patients. At least that's what I can honestly say from my experience as a doctor working on a public pediatric emergency room (not in the USA, though). The vast majority of patients I see (I estimate about 80 - 90%) wouldn't need to be there if they knew how to, and had conditions to, prevent that sickness in the first place.

EXCUSE ME? I have five relatives in the wider family that are diabetic - three are Type II, and two are Type II. NONE of them are fat.

No, she said they don't have food ( ".. the real issue is that there is no food at home")

Erm...it would help those that are in the system - while hurting society overall, while keeping the ones running the (health) system going.

I agree, yet I still contend we'd have a much cleaner cheaper transportation system if pollution of private property (air, land, water, etc) weren't protected by the state for the 'common good'. For starters I can imagine public modes of transport would be hugely economical in such a society.

That was incredible ..hats off

Private garages rely heavily on reputation for the bulk of their income. Same with restaurants. Counselors, like everyone else need to pay their bills, so they are not immune to the pitfalls outlied in your original proposition. Re: Labour unions. What part of murder is generally consistent with a free market society? People still have a right to collectively bargain, they just dont have an inherent right to the employment offered by others.

Oil revenue. And density is a good thing because unlike the US and Canada, all physical goods have to travel a further distance, a lot of money is lost just transporting goods. And half of it going away in taxes or not, you're still earning double of the minimum wage of most other 1st world countries after taxes. There's a reason why you have the highest minimum wage earnings in international dollars. 3x more than Canada, 2x more than Australia. (the 2 nearest competitors)

No, it's not, privatization has always led to the bottom line, which is for-profit. The argument you made is the one made for privatized prisons, thus the prison industrial complex was born. A system managed by the people, for the people, makes the most sense. You don't need just personal experience with a Universal Health Care system to know how well it works. You speak to the people, you listen to the complaints, ESPECIALLY the complaints, you look at the policies, and the reality becomes-

Just one thing to say to something you said. Dont you know lemonade stands are illegal in many places today?

Great talk. Really hits the point. The issue is even more devastating in regions of greater sociopolitical unrest and division. Consider Nancy Scheper-Hugh's account in "The Madness of Hunger."

Great speech, Great Vision.

Church-charities are a foreign concept because for the last few decades, we've been trained to channel all our charity into taxes. Why would you or anyone else feel inclined to provide for a charity when 45% of your income already goes to 'the common good' ? My parents grew up in a foreign rural area where there were no taxes and guess what, nobody in need was ever ignored. It was actually "a community". Thats the natural mentality you acquire when left to your own devices.

Truly insightful talk!

It has *ABSOLUTELY* everything to do with the comment Ive replied to. The original poster claims without government intervention, only the rich will have access to useful goods and services. I give a striking counter example.

My wife refuses to move out of the country but I want to move to Norway or Sweden or etc. America isn't just sliding downhill fast, it has already jumped off the cliff and is free-falling. Horrible and inhumane conditions for poor, profiting from child/slave/forced labor both abroad and domestic, continuous degradation of civil/constitutional rights, religious oppression.... and it goes on. And worst of all most Americans refuse to believe any of it, regardless of the proof.

And actually I'll take that back. The price for oil adjusted for inflation has still managed to drop over the decades. I still argue its dominance as an energy source is an artifact of state funding, though.

Passion for care. Fantastic story

I've never done anything wrong. I don't get benefits and it's not fair, but denying help to people because you may help someone deplorable is disgusting. Punish my mother if you will, but what have I done to deserve the pit both my mother and society had dug for me?

Again, patents and copyright law are a state-enforced service in need of overhaul (or outright dismissal). Please stick to free market topics.

"LOOK to Norway" might be a more sustainable prescription than moving there :). emulate

Secondly the 'large' quantity of false DMCA's is *insignificant* to the amount of content actually expressed on youtube any given minute of the year. Thirdly there's a difference between regulation and self-regulation. If a system is not self-regulating to your level of satisfaction, you move on. It adapts or is overtaken. Do you honestly believe youtube would be a better means of communication if the government controlled its content?

Wow, now that is a passionate speaker with an idea worth spreading!

Prescribing food is definitely something I've never heard of, but it is a good idea. The patients going to this clinic can't get better if they can't get healthy. To avoid getting sick thee patients need a clean home, unlike the family she mentioned living in a home overrun by cockroaches. That family can't afford to keep their home clean, so it is highly unlikely they would be able to afford medication. Yes, as she said managing disease is important, but if the doctors could do more sure as improve their overall quality of life some how that would be even more beneficial to the patients. If the patient is unable to afford food or housing treating them from disease will not do much, since they will be going back to the unhealthy lifestyle.

if we decided that we're free to make great choice or make mistakes....What about have more prosperity and jobs...and everybody can decide what kind of kind of health care they want...

" There's nothing in her idea that anyone in their right mind would object to," yes there is. It means the state has to take care of people like a mother takes care of a child. This does not enpower people but limit them to a system where they have no freedom!