For decades, numerous research studies have shown that physical activity and sport play a significant role in positively shaping children’s health and emotional well-being. But, as we learn more about biology and psychology, it becomes clear that gender matters in ways not conceived of when John F. Kennedy became President in 1961 and re-energized the President’s Council on Youth Fitness, predecessor of the more recent President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport.

In my podiatric practice, I have found that health insurance can impede patient care, by adding layers of complication and burden to all involved, particularly the patient and the provider. Private-sector insurance companies have profits to make, buildings to build, shareholders to satisfy, and overhead costs to pay. Government-run plans have costs, exclusionary policies, bureaucratic oversight, and a changing landscape as administrations change.

By Jay Segel, DPM