What Does It Mean to Be Healthy?

If you've been following the health reform debate, you've no doubt heard points of view that run the gamut. Everyone seems to have an opinion, and we all know the influence that powerful lobbyists have over Congress. But in the New York Times last week, a professor of medicine put forth a radical idea: Redefine what we mean by 'healthy'.

In many ways, his argument is similar to what we've heard from some members of Congress. We currently have a "sick care" system that defines health as "the absence of abnormality"--and the only way to find out if you have an abnormality, no matter how minor or insignificant, is to become a "customer" of the health care industry.

The result, in addition to spiraling health care costs, is the sense that we're all unhealthy. After all, if you look hard enough, you're bound to find something wrong with almost anyone.

As a wellness company, this message is music to our ears. We've been saying all along that health is more than the absence of disease; "it's also a state of mind," as the doctor rightly points out. The endless cycle of sick care is bankrupting our nation, and it must end.

Wellness and prevention is the answer, and I believe it can start at the workplace. What do you think? How can we finally put sick care to rest?