A New War for Independence: Reclaiming America's Health

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence sparked a revolution with a bold shift in the hearts of a people craving freedom. As we approach America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, we face a crisis that could be considered a new war for independence: a fight against a health system that shackles millions to chronic disease, crippling medical costs, and suffocating dependence on insurance and medications.

The Silent Tyrant: A Nation in Medical Chains

The U.S. health crisis is a silent tyrant, binding Americans to a system that often profits from sickness. Chronic diseases—heart disease, diabetes, obesity—drive 75% of the $4.5 trillion annual healthcare spend, fueling a national debt soaring past $33 trillion, with Medicare and Medicaid eating over 20% of federal budgets. For the elderly, even with these programs, out-of-pocket costs are crushing: seniors spend an average of $6,800 annually on healthcare, covering premiums, copays, and uncovered services like dental or vision. This medical dependence traps them in a cycle of pills, procedures, and paperwork, eroding their financial and physical freedom.

Younger generations bear the weight too. The grandchildren of the boomer generation, grappling with rising living costs, face a future where inherited medical debts and chronic disease loom large. One in three Americans under 65 has a chronic condition, often tied to lifestyle, chaining them to medications and insurance plans before they’ve built wealth or stability. The healthcare-industrial complex—insurers, Big Pharma, and processed food giants—thrives on this dependency, creating a system seemingly impossible to escape. We can win this generation’s war for independence, and defeat a system that keeps us sick and indebted, IF WE ACT.

The Battlefield: Breaking Free from Dependence

The trenches of this war are the pantries of every American home. Commit 250 urges Americans to reject the trap of convenience that fuels chronic disease. Preparing one home-cooked meal a day, using whole foods like fresh vegetables, lean proteins, and unprocessed grains, can break the cycle of reliance on ultra-processed, nutrient-poor foods. Cooking at home isn’t just about nourishment—it’s an act of rebellion against a food industry that prioritizes profit over health.

Communities are key battlegrounds. Local efforts—farmers’ markets, health co-ops, gardening—chip away at dependence by fostering access to real food and knowledge. We are calling for collective action to redefine health as freedom. Freedom from a life in servitude to prescriptions and premiums.

The Burden: A Generational Call to Action

Healthcare costs bankrupt families, with 66% of U.S. bankruptcies tied to medical debt. The elderly, despite Medicare, face rising costs that devour savings, while their grandchildren inherit a nation where chronic disease is normalized, and medical bills are a rite of passage. This burden stifles economic mobility, mental health, and hope for a freer future. If we don’t act, the silent tyrant will tighten its grip, leaving future generations to pay for today’s inaction.

Today is the day to declare your independence from a system that incentivizes illness and dependency. We can win this generation’s war for independence, if we act.

The Call to Action

The battlefield is the kitchen, the weight room, the track, the treadmill and the heart and mind of each American. As John Adams described: “a radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people.” Commit 250 challenges you to fight for health as freedom for America’s 250th anniversary. Commit 250 will provide proven micro-learning techniques for educational health, coupled with daily accountability checklists, cohorts and communities of friends, inspirational accounts of American progress, and daily intentional gratitude to encourage mental health. This is a path for any American, no matter where they are starting from.

Your nation needs you to take charge of your health. No politician, president, leader, or loved one can do it for you. You must commit. Commit to taking charge of your health this year. Think how far you can get with your health before the 250th anniversary. Now is the time. Break the chains of medical dependence—choose real food, move your body, build community.

Join Us. Challenge your friends and family.

A Stronger America Needs a Stronger You.