OPINION:
Congress always wants to save money on health care costs. Well, it has the tools to do it - it just needs to tell states to stop repealing public-safety regulations.
Motorcycle-helmet laws, seat-belt laws and bicycle-helmet laws for adults and children are incredibly important for injury prevention. I support punishing states’ pocketbooks if the states in question keep repealing such public safety laws. In fact, states that pass such regulations should be rewarded.
We have too many traumatic brain injuries brought on by people who don’t want to protect themselves on our roadways. This is getting costly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2000 the direct and indirect medical costs associated with traumatic brain injury, such as lost productivity, totaled an estimated $60 billion.
Congress and President Obama should act to stop this epidemic. Prevention is the only true and complete cure for a brain injury.
ROBERT S. EDWARDS
Wellesley, Mass.
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