Comments on: Obesity, Correlation Vs. Causality, and the Threat of Government Health Care

By: c3

c3 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:16:55 +0000

I can certainly understand the concern about what the government, particularly a government that controls the majority of health care, could do to “fight obesity”. I do hope we don’t end up saying that obesity is not a significant health risk. It IS a significant health risk and I can say that as a physician who not only believes that but who has read a good deal of the key research.

I would also point out that public health officials have always struggled with what’s the “right thing to do” from a public health perspective and what’s the right thing to do from a “liberty and free choice” perspective. Our response as a voting public is not to belittle the public health folks (speaking as someone with a Masters in Public Health) but to do appropriate push back:

“I appreciate that research suggests that helmeted motorcyclists are far less likely to die or suffer serious brain injury in an accident but we have decided to allow people the freedom to make choices, even ’stupid’ ones”

PS I believe that people should bear some of the responsibility for their bad choices and that includes downstream costs (read: health care). Putting together a workable policy is the tough part.

By: Jay_C

Jay_C — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:37:24 +0000

Hey, but we’ll all be healthier right? At least phyisically..

Mentally on the otherhand, all that “looking over your shoulder” before eating a devil dog would cause my newley added psych. bill to go through the roof! So I guess my net health cost would be a wash.

By: Jay_C

Jay_C — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:33:09 +0000

‘Is it really inconceivable that the government will not use the threat of withdrawing health care insurance as a coercive tool to force people to attend mandatory exercise sessions at the gym?”

Not at all. I can see the letter in my mailbox now:

Dear Sir,

You unhealthy lifestyly choice is a risk to financial stability within “the collective”, you are “too expensive”, so shape up or ship out.

Kind Regards,

Big Brother

…Got 1984?