Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It should be between a doctor and a patient.
Why do people want to give such power to insurance co's and governments?
It is a fact that obese people require more medical care. And they require more expensive medical care.
I don't want the government to have more power. But it is reasonable for an insurer, whose business is based on calculations of risk, to charge obese people higher rates. Just like they do for life insurance. And I think it is reasonable that those who do not take those risks, not be forced to subsidize those that do.
I think smoking is killing more people. I know many who have gotten lung cancer and died and they were not fat. Many women choose to smoke because they put weight on if they stop smoking.
A good diet can go along way. I know many people who eat junk food and are thin. Go figure.. junk food is unhealthy for everyone. Got to eat those vegetables and also get exercise to live a balanced life.
Sure. I think we should be able to eat what we want. I also think obese people (and smokers) should pay more for their health insurance.
We already Do!
That depends. The cost of obese people and smokers in a group plan is spread out amongst the group. Only on individual policies do you pay more because that is a per person circumstance.
Sure. I think we should be able to eat what we want. I also think obese people (and smokers) should pay more for their health insurance.
May I examine your life? I'll bet I can find something you need to pay more for too.
Rest assured the health-Nazi's will do exactly that and use YOUR support of what you said as an excuse. If higher costs can be applied to me because of what I do, they can and will be applied to you too at some point and, since you support the notion, you won't have a leg to stand on when they come after something you do.
By supporting higher costs for me, you're making higher costs for yourself inevitable.
Forget about the automobile aspects, the owner pays the costs involved with extra fuel consumption. It's the airline industry, public transportation, and food stamps where others are picking up the tab for the obese.
Sometimes the airlines charge extra for a person that is so fat they take up two seats, but that does not compensate for the extra weight from all the other obese passingers. Extra weight means extra fuel, and higher ticket prices for everyone. The effect is smaller for public transportation, but more payload means more energy needed for motion......always.
Do obese people need a government food card ? No, they need less food, not more food. I realize if they have kids there is no way around that, but what about those without kids ? They should have to step up on the scale at the welfare office and weigh in to get a food card. Should they be tested for tobacco and drug use before getting a food card ? If they can afford tobacco or drugs, then the public does not need to pick up the tab for their food bill, obese or not.
Some people are fat. Get over it before your concern empowers those who would restrict YOUR right to eat whatever you want and do whatever you want.
It's hard to just "get over it" when businesses are having to compensate for handling the growing waists of society. A couple local hospitals to me have had to redo several hallways to compensate for the scenario of quickly getting a double-bed (the beds required for the morbidly obese) through them. Millions upon millions were spent in building renovations and equipment. That money has to come from somewhere...
As tluv mentioned, healthy people already bear the additional burden (additional medical costs) of smokers and the obese.
- Many employers have self funded insurance plans
- Many small group policies premiums are based on the health of their group members
So if your company falls into either of those two categories and/or you pay part of your premiums yourself, then you have helped pay down risk from your obese and smoking co-workers. Remember that if a company has to pay more in premiums, than profit margins are lower - and that will affect your bonus', annual raises, etc.
I remember riding a shuttle on the tarmac of Charles De Gaulle Airport a couple of years ago. Our flight had a connection to the east coast that we weren't sure if we were going to make so we were checking out planes on the tarmac to see if they were boarding. You could tell flights to the US because they were disproportionately full of obese people...
I work at a hospital that recently went through major renovations. We've had one room on each floor specially made for bariatric (morbidly obese) patients with an extra half door to enter the room and a floor mounted toilet. Most of the hospital's toilets are mounted to the wall. The ones in public areas have been retro fitted with a support bracket. Bariatric beds are huge and very expensive. It's cheaper for the hospital to rent the bed than buy the bed.
I don't really pay attention to fat people or really care, but when will it all end!? People just keep getting bigger and bigger, it's shocking.
I weight 170lbs as a 6' tall guy, and I can't believe how many people have started saying how "skinny" I am. I mean I'm hardly SKINNY. I'm basically normal, although I could stand to lose 5-10 pounds.
These days you look around in restaurants and in stores and there are so many grossly overweight people who can hardly even walk around without waddling and fighting to breath. I feel like it's gotten to the point where it's perfectly fine and normal for someone to weigh 250 or 300 pounds.
If people would get more active instead of sitting around watching the idiot box, then obesity would go down to much lower levels like back in the 80's and before
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
