It’s hard to imagine a more tumultuous year for the Wealth of Health in Hawaii than the one about to end. This column highlights the hottest stories of 2013 based on the volume and intensity of comments from our readers on both sides of key issues.
Genetically Modified Food — Right to Know vs. Right to Grow. Each time this topic is covered in the Wealth of Health, vehement responses claim that no one has been physically harmed by GMOs, that they are safe, necessary to ensure an adequate food supply, spare pesticide use and are already so widespread that any burden to label should be placed upon non-GMO farmers.
Last month the Hawaii County Council adopted a bill limiting genetically engineered crops. It was promptly signed by Mayor Billy Kenoi. He stated, "With this new ordinance we are conveying that instead of global agribusiness corporations, we want to encourage and support community-based farming and ranching." Another bill placing limitations on GMOs was passed by the Kauai County Council. This one was vetoed by Mayor Bernard Carvalho, but the veto was overridden. Legal challenges are anticipated.
Bottom line: While there is still a raging debate as to whether GMOs have adverse effects, even if none have occurred to date, safety cannot be assured. Mother Nature has taken millennia to evolve plant and animal genes to be the way they are. A few decades of science is not enough to proclaim safety of GMOs in the future. At the very least, people have a right to know. GMOs must be labeled. In 2014 the tide will continue in this direction.
Obamacare — Access vs. Quality and Cost. Health care reform was inspired by the commitment to provide health care for as many Americans as possible. The quest to provide expanded access to quality care at a reasonable cost seemed, in 2013, to be most elusive. This year the Affordable Care Act (ACA) faced countless political and legal challenges, resistance by many states and ultimately numerous delays in its implementation. It was also held hostage in Congress, which caused a delay in passing the federal budget and hurt the economy with no winners. To add insult to injury, the year ends with a fiasco on the technical rollout. So far, virtually no one has benefited from Obamacare — patients, employers, insurers or hospitals. Obamacare also has caused uncertainty, which is always bad for the marketplace.
Bottom line: Obamacare is here to address an unconscionable ill of American society –to cover those without health care access with quality care at a reasonable cost. In 2013 the mammoth undertaking was deeply flawed, but it is the right thing to do. If the bugs can be worked out during 2014, society will begin to taste the fruits.
Solar Industry: Sunshine vs. the Grid: The convergence of substantial federal and state credits combined with accelerated depreciation and dropping costs of photovoltaic (PV) panels resulted in a groundswell of commercial and residential activity and an amazing proliferation of PV companies. The dramatic increase in the number of proposed installations risks the safety and reliability of an aging grid, according to Hawaiian Electric Co, which hit the brakes this year. The solar industry is now reeling. Many companies will not survive. Sustainable energy is the only answer for the future. To help the state get there, Hawaiian Electric has to do two things: First, it has to make the old grid smarter. The work has begun already. Second, it has to decide if, moving forward, it wants to be in the business of making electrons or be in the business of distributing them. Hawaiian Electric recently announced that it plans to build its own massive PV systems. Despite its stated commitment to accommodating more commercial and residential systems, its focus continues unabated on making its own electrons.
Bottom line: As batteries become more efficient and it becomes cheaper to store electricity, the people of Hawaii increasingly will sidestep their power companies and enjoy the benefits of the sun, off-grid. In the meantime the solar industry will be no better off in 2014 than in 2013.
War on Obesity: Sugar Free vs. Free Sugar. The hottest issue of the decade remains obesity and its sequelae: diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease and stroke. Obesity is not a personal problem; it is a social ill. The cost to the health care system, government payers and the associated tax burden is untenable.
Bottom line: To turn this problem around, society must marshal its resources at every level. Public health education and schools are not enough. Doctors’ offices are not enough. Governments need to step in and tax foods loaded with sugar and grease. Such taxes are not an insult to our freedom.
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Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.
