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Show BY RICK KINNERSLEY President a A Healthier Lifestyle Costs Les; I A recent federal study estimated that a person's health is determined in large part by lifestyle and the environment. environ-ment. Heredity and the health care system, according to the report, played a lesser role. A similar study also paid for by taxpayers shows that the U.S. life expectancy (how long we'll live) could be improved by 35 in the next 10 years if a greater emphasis is placed on preventing disease and injury. in-jury. The average American could expect ex-pect to live to his mid-90's by 1990 if we'll all just learn how to take care of ourselves. In spite of what these federal studies show, tax dollars for treatment treat-ment of illness are 25 times greater than payment advanced for the prevention of illness and injury. The reason, of course, is all that money has to be justified to Congress and the public. It is very difficult to show the effect of dollars spent to promote good health habits and safe driving. It's much easier to show what a doctor and hospital did to treat a patient for ill health, ill health which he probably caused himself. If Americans in general, for example, exam-ple, would just adopt the lifestyle of the people of Utah they could increase their life span by between 8 and 10 years almost immediately. . ,'. Utahn's would pay closer ant ' exercise and diet, plus tab precautions while at work sx: ' cars, they could add another ; " to their lives too. One of the imports: vancements in medical tech: '; "screening". This is kind rf : ' " brella term for various ten : '-' use of sophisticated eq-i u check the physical body for : E tions. Through the use of s: 1 procedures at the hospital : doctors can identify problea: :- might have and begin early - :" to correct the situation. !:" There are health care pit-Congress pit-Congress which will allowed, i . choice of health insurance p-. If an employee is wiEhj ' r-around, r-around, under one program, i a rebate from his employers le ference between the employs- to insurance and his cheaper:' If the employee will take : himself and his family he lU home more money. That's i V ter system than one that fi' health care we don't need X- 5 and won't use, but must pay ": s |