introducing TravisCare, the revolution that could save medicine, save the economy, and save millions of American lives! (illegal, injection)

[travis t]

https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/a...osts/index.htm

The CDC says that 90% of US health care spending is from 'chronic disease.' While some items classed this way, such as epilepsy, are not behavior-induced, the vast bulk are. The CDC lists tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and a host of other behavior-induced issues.

They report $3.3 trillion in annual US health care spending, so about $3 trillion of that is due to chronic disease. What if we could treat all these hazardous products, from booze to drugs to junk food, as we've done with cigarettes? The smoking rate is down to 14%, an all-time low. In the early 1960s the rate was 42%, so it is exactly one third of what it once was.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/smoking...-all-time-low/

We've done it with education, starting with the warning label that was mandated in 1965. Also there is no much more enforcement of age limits, via sting operations run on stores. In my county we have a 'tobacco compliance' agency that runs thousands of these stings each year. Stores caught face big fines.

In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton put tobacco under the jurisdiction of the FDA, and restricted advertising, including the banning of 'Joe Camel.' The logo hats and t-shirts that Big Tobacco used to give away were also banned. There were massive lawsuits, and a $206 billion 'Master Settlement' in 1998.

Most of all, we taxed cigarettes to the moon in order to discourage use. As far as I can find out, it only costs about 6 cents to manufacture a pack of 20 cigarettes. New York State has the highest tax; a pack reportedly costs $13 in NYC! This translates to a tax rate of over 1000%.

Why not legalize drugs and tax them at 1000%? We could get the liberal/libertarian long-sought dream of ending the drug war. We could do the same with booze, junk food, energy drinks, etc. If we could cut that $3 trillion spending on chronic disease to $1 trillion, we could pay off our entire debt in 11 years. Plus we could take all that revenue flowing in from !000% taxes, and fund AOC's 'Medicare for all.' Only it should be called TravisCare, since it's my idea. What do you think?

[Milton Miteybad]

Originally Posted by travis t

...Why not legalize drugs and tax them at 1000%? We could get the liberal/libertarian long-sought dream of ending the drug war...

Because by adding the additional increment of cost a tax represents, you automatically give black market players a price advantage to exploit, something the states where weed is legal should have seen coming, but had to learn the hard way, apparently.

Which is to say...if your choice is between readily available legal drugs selling for $10,000, or readily available illegal drugs selling for $1,000, which will you, the discriminating drug consumer, choose? The answer, of course, is obvious, as they are finding out in California.

Thus, "TravisCare," as a policy idea, is dead even before conception due to the immutable laws of economics.

Back to the drawing board, as they say.

[in_newengland]

What? No to legalizing drugs. We have plenty of druggies without making it legal.

The rest, taxing products that cause illness, Good Luck. Soda tax? I hate soda so I don't care but it seems that most people love their soda. And the soda companies contribute big money to politicians. Every company that makes something contributes to the politicians, so we can never get anything passed.

I'd love a soda tax (everyone would hate me though. ) I'd love a big tax on junk foods, the kind that contain very little nutrition and lots of artificial coloring and preservatives that make people sick. They do things like this in other countries but I don't think it would happen here. Still love that soda tax though, hahaha.

[in_newengland]

While you're at it, better start taxing vaping because that's the new smoking. It's addicting and getting very popular.

The idea of taxing things to get people to stop buying them works sometimes. In the UK they tax huge gas guzzling cars. So people buy sensible cars and they save gas.

A combination of taxation and education. Banning the ads for soda. Just like they can't advertise for alcohol the way they used to. They'd have a hard time doing it though. Soda producers want to sell soda and somebody would have to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that it's horrible for your health like cigarettes and alcohol. Same with the junk food--we know it's bad for us, but prove that it's as deadly as cigarettes.

[Brave New World]

I am all for preventing obesity through better food guidelines, regulations coupled with more exercise, however the biggest factor in terms of health is actually old age.

[old_cold]

Originally Posted by Brave New World

I am all for preventing obesity through better food guidelines, regulations coupled with more exercise, however the biggest factor in terms of health is actually old age.

Oh, I'd love it if a law were passed banning old age!
Problem is I can only think of one way to enforce that

[NSHL10]

In order to make new tax revenue we have legalized vaping and marijuana while spending billions to reduce smoking. Problem is the vaping is even worse for you and smoking anything will cause similar lung issues as smoking tobacco. So the tax benefit still is outweighed by the health issues caused by the products.

[galaxyhi]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

What? No to legalizing drugs. We have plenty of druggies without making it legal.

The rest, taxing products that cause illness, Good Luck. Soda tax? I hate soda so I don't care but it seems that most people love their soda. And the soda companies contribute big money to politicians. Every company that makes something contributes to the politicians, so we can never get anything passed.

I'd love a soda tax (everyone would hate me though. ) I'd love a big tax on junk foods, the kind that contain very little nutrition and lots of artificial coloring and preservatives that make people sick. They do things like this in other countries but I don't think it would happen here. Still love that soda tax though, hahaha.

Taxing foods that are "bad for you" WONT exactly solve the obesity problem.

( i say these things as a 300 pound 5'6" male who has lost 97 pounds):

Sure, a soda has a lot of corn syrup (or if you spend more, sugar) but i rarely drink soda. And is way over 350 calories.

Sure, chips and salty snacks arent healthy, and i DID love potato chips and definitely loved potato salad, but potatoes in any form is dangerous for obese people , and is considered a vegetable! Sure other salty snacks are nothing but carbs, but corn chips are also made of corn, a vegetable. But cirn, due to its sugar content is bad for you...

Sure foids contain "artificial coloring", but you ARE AWARE, arent you, that they do dye beef red coloration before putting out out as people wint buy gray beef! Colorants are also to other so-called healthy foods. Also, PRESERVATIVES are added, EVEN ADDED to "fresh veggies " in a sray to help keep the veggies "fresh" while it transports from a foreign country to the USA to regions and stores here.hence the reason for "thoroughly washing your vegetables ".

I gained weight for several reasons: 1) i was pre diabetic fir years, and had an insatiable sweet tooth. I ate a lot of sweets;
2) due to the chronic medical issues I have , i have heen described morphine and codeine and they have a side effect of weight gain;
3() I drank water by the bottlefull every half hour, so in 16 hours of awakeness, id drink at least 30 bottles- the first 30 pounds were easy to lose as it was water weight; 4) due also ti my chronic medical conditions they used a lot of steroid injections and that caused me to have RAVENOUS STARVING HUNGER PAINS And caused me to eat. A lit. Often if i got up at midnight to use the facilities, I would HAVE to eat for due to hunger pains i could not get back to sleep!
Since they discovered that I have avascular necrosis they have drastically reduced the steroids injections and that reduced greatly the hubger pains.
5) due to strife in my personal life and relationship ( my OH running around and cheating on me...) i was ALSO FEEDING MY EMOTIONS, and eating away my pains ( which only furthered tge strife between us when my OH wasnt "attracted " to me anymore but refused to say it to me until recently ( after 14 years of strife), of course my OH weighs inat 114 pounds, and is too skinny right now due to stress from FIL) but some of the fat ones my OH was having affairs with, i thought it could not be me. But low and behold...ah well my OH has said "you are getting to a point where you are ery attractive again " ( thas what my OH admitted).

Several things caused tge weight loss:
1) with a proper diabetic medication, i am not drinking so much water ( sida never dud satisfy my thirst), so im not packing on the water weight. 30# gone
2) dropping potatoes in any form saved weight gain
3) changed what I ate to include half a plate if veggies instead of just 1/3. Broccoli is a favorite if mine, and fortunately is a "free food " fir diabetic diet considerations.
4) i dropped out snacks, regardless of what the sback was.
5) i cut down to just one or two eatings a day.
6) i added a nutritious shake once every other day.
7) i have started moving more, i cant run or jog, but can and do walk more.

Its NOT just junk foods that cause weight gain fir many people as many are in similar boat to me. Especially the diabetes.

Taxing it wont cure all ills. After all, we didnt tax alchohol abd hiw much insurance coverage is paying for rehab fir alkies???

No EASY ANSWER.

[madison999]

Does traviscare include mental health care for Travis?

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Originally Posted by madison999

Does traviscare include mental health care for Travis?

That sure sounds like a preexisting condition to me.