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Because it's a huge can of worms. From a medical standpoint, morbid obesity is difficult to treat in a safe, lasting way. The underlying issues are at least as hard to treat. For example, many such people probably have given up on life, find food one of their few daily comforts (yeah, it is hedonism, as someone said), and doubt major weight loss will positively change their circumstances. There's also the issue of medical professionals - especially if male - getting very negative reactions from patients (particularly female) if they say much about weight.
It's interesting that it is only now that so many people have become addicted to food. There was plenty of junk food 30-40 years ago, very little obesity..
My opinion it's the rapid increase in recent technologies that's compounding the recent obesity epidemic..
People may have been developing unhealthy eating habits in the 7os & 8os, but u still had to leave your couch for stimulation. Now if u wanna play football, basketball, etc.. it's mostly done from a gaming console. If you wanted music you left your house (maybe walked or rode a bike) to a music shop. Now ppl just retrieve music from YouTube, sitting in a recliner, etc.
Some great conveniences, no doubt.. but escalating technology's been a mixed blessing for American health.
However, those treatments -- and treatments for health issues that are directly linked to morbid obesity -- should not be paid for by health insurance, any more than frequent intentional automobile wrecks should be paid for by automobile insurance.
Morbid obesity is a moral failing. It is completely and wholly voluntary.
Insurance rates should be skyrocketed for those that are obese. Just like drivers pay a higher insurance premium that pose a risk on the roads so should the Bigguns bare their fair share of costs.
How about raising those rates for those who smoke (though I think they've already done that), those who indulge in excess amounts of alcohol (more than one drink a day-the current limit stated for a number of medical conditions, for those who indulge in recreational drugs, or depend on too many opioids to get them through a day. And how about for those, who in the opinions of the keyboard "experts" sitting in judgement of anyone who doesn't fit their fancied picture of an ideal human being, raise the rates for anyone, anywhere, engage in any kind of risky behavior.
As a kid, we used to get home-cooked meals every night, pretty much. My Mom was a stay-at-home Mom. She had time to cook.
Today? Different story. With busy, over-stressed working parent(s), kids today are more likely to eat fast food or takeout.
And let's face it, chicken nuggets or fingers, greasy wings and burgers on white rolls, fries, cheap pizzas and other highly processed foods are not the ticket to a life of normal weight and health. We wash these "foods" down with junk soft and sports drinks. High calories; low-to-no nutrients.
Low-nutrient, high sugar, salt and additive, high-caloric "snack" foods now take up acres of aisle space in our grocery stores. As well as all kinds of sugar-filled drinks and baked goods of every kind and color.
Couple our poor eating patterns with less physical activity and our kids (and us!) are on the pathway to a life of obesity and ill-health.
Until lots of factors are changed, it's like spitting into the wind.
As a kid, we used to get home-cooked meals every night, pretty much. My Mom was a stay-at-home Mom. She had time to cook.
Today? Different story. With busy, over-stressed working parent(s), kids today are more likely to eat fast food or takeout.
And let's face it, chicken nuggets or fingers, greasy wings and burgers on white rolls, fries, cheap pizzas and other highly processed foods are not the ticket to a life of normal weight and health. We wash these "foods" down with junk soft and sports drinks. High calories; low-to-no nutrients.
Low-nutrient, high sugar, salt and additive, high-caloric "snack" foods now take up acres of aisle space in our grocery stores. As well as all kinds of sugar-filled drinks and baked goods of every kind and color.
Couple our poor eating patterns with less physical activity and our kids (and us!) are on the pathway to a life of obesity and ill-health.
Until lots of factors are changed, it's like spitting into the wind.
Sports drinks aren't exactly a problem. Are they great kinda. They have more good in there than soda, energy drinks or alcohol. Granted not as good as water.
Sports drinks aren't exactly a problem. Are they great kinda. They have more good in there than soda, energy drinks or alcohol. Granted not as good as water.
However, those treatments -- and treatments for health issues that are directly linked to morbid obesity -- should not be paid for by health insurance, any more than frequent intentional automobile wrecks should be paid for by automobile insurance.
Well, then you don't get to complain when they fail to seek treatment - and end up costing even MORE to the general public (taxpayers), when they develop issues that ERs are required to treat regardless of insurance. Use the logical side of your brain instead of the emotional one, and think about what's best for society in the LONG run. Would you rather someone's personal/work insurance plan cover treatment and preventative measures, or the hospitals and taxpayers eat the cost (no pun intended) when it becomes more serious? Logic 101.
Quote:
Morbid obesity is a moral failing. It is completely and wholly voluntary.
That's BS. Sorry, but it just is. Any doctor, whether medical or psychological, would tell you you're wrong... it's much deeper than that, usually with a number of psychological and physiological factors. I know plenty of otherwise strong-willed people who are fat, and vice versa. Get off your high horse.
And I guess the non-obese people who eat junk food are morally failing too? Or do you only pass these judgments on people who aren't lucky enough to have that magic metabolism? Because I know people much thinner than me who eat like CRAP, and are just as likely to have a heart attack from that behavior. Obesity isn't the only issue related to poor diets, in case you weren't aware.
However, those treatments -- and treatments for health issues that are directly linked to morbid obesity -- should not be paid for by health insurance, any more than frequent intentional automobile wrecks should be paid for by automobile insurance.
Morbid obesity is a moral failing. It is completely and wholly voluntary.
Not a moral failing, it's usually due to bad habits or psychological problems. Health insurance SHOULD pay for treatment. In fact, there should be more emphasis on treatment and that treatment can work. My previous MD obtained some sort of special certification in weight loss and people were flocking to him for treatment. That was a good thing.
I'm not in favor or normalizing obesity though. It is not normal any more than it is normal to be highly underweight. Both can be dangerous. I'd like to see obesity attacked the way smoking was attacked back in the 1970s. More publicity concerning the health dangers and more free groups for weight loss. Back in the 1970s we had free groups for quitting smoking. Why can't they do that for weight loss?
I'm not in favor of catering to overweight people. I hate seeing those poor kids too, the ones who are fat because of what their parents feed them. They will grow up to be fat. There needs to be an all out campaign against obesity and if they have to treat it like an addiction (which it often is) then, so be it.
Wow, I really didn’t expect this thread to be revived 5 years later!
Looking back, I must admit I oversimplified the issue in my original post. I do think it’s a highly complex problem, with many sociological aspects. I’m not saying that anyone who is overweight has a mental health issue. Our society in fact makes it easy to be overweight. And I really wasn’t arguing for or against insurance covering healthcare costs. I’m talking about the approach to treating patients with severely morbid obesity.
I was actually referring more to the stage where preventative care is feasible. And like i said, I’m referring specifically to people who are extremely obese, to the extent that it severely interferes with their daily life. I think healthcare practitioners really should be taking a deeper dive to address the causes, rather than just the symptoms, of morbid obesity. Those causes are different for everyone. Most people who are at that sort of weight are aware there is a problem. The question is why do they keep going down a self-destructive path? A diet plan, surgery, etc are really just band-aids. A treatment plan should really be comprehensive, to include therapy or maybe even a rehab-type option if warranted.
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