Columns, Opinion

HAGERTY: We have a lot to learn from Oklahoma City’s Republican mayor

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has been a major point of contention since it was signed in 2010. There are a lot of excellent regulations in this bill. However, this act contains 20,000 pages in regulations and it’s not all great. Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act is not benefitting as many people as it could. A lot of this has to do with state politics. In our liberal haven of Massachusetts, the ACA works quite well. In fact, much of it is based on healthcare legislation penned by our former governor Mitt Romney. Massachusetts residents who are eligible for an ACA plan have a host of options to choose from.

Because of the healthcare mandate, those who are not on a plan have to pay a fine. Many Americans are stuck between a rock and a hard place, but for us here in Massachusetts, we cannot see them. They are simply too far away because most of those without the options we have happen to live in the South and Midwest.

There are entire states with only one option for coverage. Those states are both GOP strongholds and they typically have the largest strains on their healthcare system suffering from high rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The least healthy states in America have the fewest options for healthcare coverage and that seems wrong. Healthcare in the United States is typically thought of in the very narrow scope of primary care. However, there are so many more components to the health of an individual that should be taken into consideration when crafting legislation intended to create a healthier population. If the government wants to save taxpayer dollars while tackling America’s biggest health concerns, which typically stem from being overweight, they would take a healthcare approach based on public health initiatives.

Let’s look at Oklahoma, a state that currently has one health insurance option for those seeking ACA plans. In 2007, Oklahoma City was ranked the 8th most obese city in America. Their Republican mayor, Mick Cornett, hated that ranking and created an initiative called “This City is Going On a Diet.” The goal of this initiative was for Oklahoma City residents to lose a collective 1 million pounds. City residents were encouraged to log their weight loss online, form exercise groups and share healthy recipes all on social media — 52,167 residents tracked their weight loss resulting in a collective 1 million pound loss. By 2012, Oklahoma City was no longer on that list of obese cities.

As a Republican, Mayor Cornett did not view health related mandates or taxes on soda as solutions to the health problems facing his city. He took a radically different approach to solving his city’s health problems and it proved to be extremely effective. Driving and sedentary lifestyles were so commonplace because the layout of the city did not provide spaces for human activity. Cornett changed the built environment which has a domino effect, changing the culture of the city. The residents were allowed more access to exercise. This resulted in both weight loss and increased economic prosperity for the city.

Oklahoma City incorporated several feasible design features, which allowed for more physical activity. First, the city planners realized that they did not require developments to put in sidewalks. To encourage walking, they expanded the number of sidewalks in the city and subsequently changed their requirements for developers.

A second design feature involved beautifying the sidewalks by adding green features, trees and grass next to the sidewalk. This was aesthetically pleasing, good for the environment and great for business because the newly walkable streets of Oklahoma City became desirable places to open up storefronts. Oklahoma City then expanded its public transit options from residential communities to schools, libraries and centers of commerce. Finally, Oklahoma City utilized their river and created a facility for kayaking, canoeing and rowing to expand the range of recreation activities.

Oklahoma City created hundreds of jobs, and its citizens together lost one million pounds because of these infrastructure projects. It was a combination of little tweaks in city planning and common sense regulations that created a cultural shift resulting in a healthier, more prosperous city. Companies began relocating to Oklahoma City, and in 2012, the Olympic rowing trials were held in Oklahoma City’s new boathouse, bringing yet another economic boost. The community design features that they implemented could serve as a model for other cities and towns facing problems of obesity.

In whatever the Republicans do to “replace” the ACA, I hope they consult their fellow party member Cornett. He could be just what the doctor ordered if our government’s goal is to craft non-invasive legislation that will make us healthier and more prosperous. I’m also pretty sure Michelle Obama would be all about this.

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