Not really. It’s just that, for a good many of us, it’s not quite the novelty that it is for you, so we don’t feel quite the evangelical zeal of the born again convert.
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@btresist I agree with you…
However, such a system is illegal since obesity is now defined as an illness and discriminating against the obese violates the Americans With Disabilities Act law.
This was solidified by President George H.W. Bush whose administration challenged and deep-sixed Oregon’s sensible state health program.
Oregon’s legislature determined the amount that the state could afford to pay for medical care. They collected a panel of doctors who listed medical care in the order of cost effectiveness. Vaccines for children were at the top since a few pennies worth of vaccine could prevent terrible illness. Expensive medicines for rare diseases were at the bottom. The state drew a line where conditions above would be reimbursed while conditions below were not.
The courts agreed that this was illegal discrimination and Oregon’s sensible program was tossed out.
Wendy
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Such definitions can be changed through legislation (note that while nicotine-addiction is an obvious medical condition, tobacco users can be charged more for health care). Eliminate the Affordable Care Act and it’s pre-existing condition protection, and I suspect a lot of insurance companies will either charge the obese more or drop their coverage. It is simple financial necessity.
The American population is getting older, fatter, and living longer, often through expensive medical interventions. That is not economically sustainable regardless of what health care system is adopted. There are only two solutions I can see as plausible that will still allow a semblance of universal health care. One is to motivate a healthier American lifestyle (i.e., become like the Japanese) or open the borders and let immigrants pay the health care costs of older, fatter Americans.
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Good news! The anti-science, anti-intellectual propaganda has really been paying off. Unlike the rest of the developed world, life expectancy for Americans is declining.
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Seems to me (at least in my family and circle of friends) that the shrinking share of USAians still moving and eating like normal mammals ARE living longer, even stunningly longer.
d fb
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Have you solved the problem or is it getting worse? Tell me to stop evangelizing once the problem is solved. I welcome the day!
The Captain
Down below 69 Kgs…
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And then the obese, like others without adequate coverage, will simply use emergency rooms for their routine care. At very high cost to government because those bills are rarely ever paid by anyone other than government.
Still doesn’t lower our overall cost as a nation.
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