If anyone wonders why so so many Americans are in favor of some type of public option for health care, the answer can be found in the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the August issue health debts caused over 62% of bankruptcies in 2007, up dramatically from the 46% rate just six years earlier.

One answer to this problem is a radical change in our health care system, beginning with each one of us, right now. The current model is treatment-based and we need to shift to a focus on prevention. We don't wait until the engines fall out of our cars before getting them serviced do we? No! We take them in for regular service so expensive problems can be avoided. We need to do the same for our health.

Americans need to take responsibility for their own health. We can prevent bankruptcies in many cases by preventing serious health problems. Don't wait until something goes wrong, take charge of your life right now and do something to maintain better health. For instance, take advantage of the hundreds of complementary and alternative therapies that are available. Most of these are holistic (treat all of you) and are based on preventative medicine.