Would it pay for the government to pay people for daily walking?

In answer to donnajones,
Perhaps I should also be paid for eating healthy foods rather than junk food and for brushing my teeth and bathing. And in addition, shouldn't I be paid for not smoking? (SARCASM, of course!)
Actually, we ARE paid for doing such...we're paid with better, even if not perfect, health. Must we be bribed with money to do what we know we should do?
I plan to continue to DO my best as long as I'm able in spite of my age and health concerns. Of course a bit of extra money would always be nice, but there are better ways than having the government pay me to use my common sense!

Cardiovascular health is directly related to aerobic conditioning and the majority of healthcare costs. Like I said above, I don't like the government getting involved in anything but safety but the way it is now structured everyone is stuck in one way or another. People pay in to the healthcare system for decades and that is not going away easily. Paying people to walk would provide substantial savings and many other societal benefits to everyone. If the theory is sound at least there will be no money lost.

Getting paid to brush your teeth is also worth looking into. Oral health is a major concern and financial burden in numerous respects but it is largely preventable through proper, individual tailored home care (usually daily twice brushing, flossing and antiseptic mouthwash) and at least annual dental visits.

I feel the same way about the health benefits that accrue with practicing the best health practices It's a form of honor that most people should have, but many do not. But again there are no good alternatives to the trillions of dollars that will be spent on conditions that are mostly preventable.

I really like your idea and think the government should adopt it, with a twist. We currently don't have nearly enough mailmen on foot. My mail's always late because our local fleet of delivery vehicles is poorly maintained and most of them spend more time in the shop than on their routes. So, let's have the U.S. Postal Service pay people to walk and give them a bag full of mail and a delivery route. The Feds can even throw in some perks, like a govt. issue Fitbit and a pair of gold sneakers. With the massive influx of delivery personnel, the USPS can retire their unreliable and wasteful fleet of local dispatch vehicles. Also, with thousands fewer trucks puttering around town all day, well soon be awash in gasoline and the price will plummet. The air quality will also improve dramatically. I'm going to contact Louis DeJoy just as soon as I'm done writing this message and tell him what a great idea this is.
Thanks again!

Fun + Good Idea. How about each state build connecting walking trail communities. Make it possible to walk all 50 states. Vision walking across your state in increments on pathways designed for walking, focused on nature, solitude, and socializing with walkable communities for rest stops, food, and B&Bs.

"Connecting walking trail communities?" Who in the world are you? That is the right idea!

We should also have connecting bicycle paths and trails connecting everywhere. That would pay for itself many times over, if people used it. In fact in parts of western Europe whole countries have a highly developed, safe bicycle infrastructure and most people use a bicycle (and also walk) as their major mode of transport, i.e. going to work, the store, the movies, visiting friends and just going for a nice long bicycle ride!

@robertwills I can understand cyclists being incentivised to use their bicycles rather than their cars, A good way to keep carbon omissions down and getting motor vehicles off the road as much as possible. Similar with subsidising public transport costs.

I don’t expect to be paid by taxpayers to go for a walk! I don’t expect to be paid by taxpayers to stop eating “bad” food and to eat healthy food!

My health insurance company in Australia does offer free group outdoor fitness classes to its members. It also offers free dietary advice to its members.

It also sponsors an annual fun run (or walk) and provides training tips to help newbies compete over different distances.

Our various levels of government have also put a lot of money into bike and pedestrian infrastructure. We have great park trails and lots of open green space (with areas set aside for playgrounds) in our cities to encourage community to get outdoors.

In the US people work and pay all their lives into a government medical system that benefits them in older age or before depending on circumstances. There is a near zero chance that this system could be done away with. But if the government paid people to walk the costs to everyone would be less, maybe substantially less, and the health of the population greatly increased, It's an idea worth considering. The sooner the better. I don't know how it is in Australia but about 70% or more of people here are overweight and like 30% are obese.

@robertwills Australia has a wonderful public health system which tax payers fund.

People on higher incomes also have to pay an extra levy to help subsidise the public system.

Most employers in Australia don’t offer health insurance as part of employment - it’s not normal.

We are also encouraged - if we can afford to do so - to take out our own private health insurance as soon as we start working so we don’t need to queue in the public health system and can choose our own surgeons and number of beds in the room.

It’s not perfect but seems to be so much better than the USA and much more affordable. The USA health system is crazy expensive.

As a stage 4 cancer survivor I’m not coming to the USA anytime soon because I can’t get affordable cover and I can’t run the risk of landing in a USA hospital without insurance!!

I don’t know why the USA health care system is so bad and seems it would be even worse without Obamacare.

I know there are many health conscious Americans who exercise and eat well without needing to be paid! I am surprised more Americans don’t walk more, without needing to be paid to do so, knowing how stressful the health system is if they need it 🤔

We too have chunk of our population at unhealthy weights. Maybe semaglutides will become more widespread for such people (not wealthy slim people wanting to be skinny), much more affordable and with more medical trials for side effects.

Your post has raised interesting issues about how to address health and make the health care system better

Hi Robertwills,
You've been around long enough to know the name Dr. Atkins. He went before the FDA in the 70's to tell them that the food pyramid government was telling us all to use for HEALTH, was going to cause massive obesity and diabetes to run amuk in this Country. They all but threw him out and laughed at him the entire time. THAT SAME FOOD PYRAMID is still with us today, and look at what we have with people eating all the carbs and deep fried foods, and children being raised on macaroni and cheese and spaghetti and noodles and sandwiches and pizza, and don't forget the pop and breakfast with sugary-laden cereals or toaster treats.
We not only have a population suffering from massive obesity, but obese children suffering from Type II diabetes from eating all the garbage the government pushed and is still pushing. Children who can barely pull themselves up monkey bars and cannot do a chin-up whatsoever. They took physical education out of the schools that encouraged children to be active. They put in sports which many kids can't afford to take part in just to purchase the shoes they need to wear to play.
Are you aware in Italy, spaghetti is served in a small side dish, often plain, and made fresh. Bring that dish to the United States and load it up with spaghetti sauce loaded with salt, red dyes, thickeners that cause cancer, and we eat it as the main course, not a small 1/4 cup side dish. Pizza wasn't enough to binge on, so let's add cheese-filled bread sticks rolled in salt and Parmesan, to see if the body can digest all of that before trying to call it a day.
I have walked 4 miles a day since I was 28, and when I hit 72 I got a little dog whose joints I don't want to injure so we walk 2 miles most days and 3 on others, with the additional mile being at his favorite place -- the doggie park -- where he sprints all over the place, up and down hills.
I walk for my health and for my enjoyment. I can find beauty in the clouds, snow flakes, sunshine, the birds, flowers, trees when they start budding in the spring and leaves when they change color. If people need incentives to do what they should do for their own health and longevity, then they never learned to enjoy the small things in life that are free to everyone capable of partaking. The government paying someone to walk would only enlist more government interference in our lives and encourage those who already cheat the system to find more ways to cheat the system at taxpayer expense.

I am very aware of spaghetti in Italy and it is false that it is always served in a small side dish and made fresh. It can be a main course, with olives, bread and olive oil for dipping! Italians also buy pasta in the supermarket, just like Americans. In fact numerous brands of authentic Italian spaghetti can be found in American supermarkets today. I believe the Italian brands may be healthier in that they use different grains and less additives.

I don't like the government interfering at all except with issues of safety. However, the healthcare system in the US will not change anytime soon because people have paid in all their lives. Paying people to walk would save money for everyone and significantly increase the health of the population and country in numerous ways.