AMA: Obesity is a disease
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The definition of a disease is too lax, thus being easily manipulated you can make it cover any unsavory condition connected to humanity.
The Bible, philosophy, and other reference from ancient times called it like it is....gluttony. Today we feel we are entitled to whatever we want, right now, and in whatever quantities we think will fill our immediate want, ignoring our real need.
Hunger is temporal. What is insatiable is our appetite. We don't differentiate, and we fail.0 -
[And yes, it IS their own fault that they are obese. No one is forcing food down their throats. They have all the tools to not be that way. They just choose not to use them.
So by that definition, if a smoker get's lung cancer - lung cancer ceases to be an disease? After all, no-one is forcing them to smoke? The discussion is regarding the classification of obesit as a disease - not the cause of obesity.0 -
Um....isn't it in many cases? I'm not sure I agree with this."A reason often given for making the declaration is that it would help remove the stigma that obesity is a result of eating too much or exercising too little."0 -
But, is there an underlying condition that makes it difficult to lose weight, maintain, and easy to gain weight? Are there biochemical abnormalities that go beyond willpower?
If there is, then it is a different disease. Hypothyroidism, PCOS, are already recognized as diseases. Illness-related obesity isn't a disease unto itself. It is a symptom.
It's a symptom, however there are a myriad of possible causes, many of them beyond the diseases that you mention, including cortisol dysregulation, sleep disturbances, other forms of hormonal disruption, and changes in gut microbiota. We consider cancer to be a disease, even though there are many different causes and types of cancer.
But yet again, obesity is a symptom of biological and genetic disorder, which can either be classified as a disease or simply a mutation, but either way, obesity, unto itself, is not a disease.
But don't get me wrong. I think the AMA's action will have a positive outcome in the fight against obesity, and I fully support it. It's just such a gray area.0 -
It's been said before, but here's the Miriam Webste definition of a disease.
"a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms "
From a purely descriptive and analytical perspective it's fairly easy to see how that definition can apply to obesity.
The actual cause of the " disease " is irrelevant.0 -
Personally I think it's just another way to charge more money to people with health plans, which is now going to be everybody in the USA, therefore promoting more income. Smokers and obese people, I am sure us people that are alcoholics (determined by drinks a week) will be next.
Follow the money. ^_^
Pretty much. If you have X disease, it's easier for insurance to charge higher rates. I don't know if they can still deny coverage, but if they can... this gives them another way to do so.
They already do that without the "diagnosis." Many insurance providers offer increased rates for people with BMI > 30
My opinion is that this is nonsense. Obesity is a SYMPTOM of a problem not a disease in and of itself. Also, I think citing it as a disease is a copout. In most cases, it's preventable and treatable with lifestyle changes. If it's not, then it's an indicator of some other problem that requires medical treatment. I can see how some would make this yet another excuse for their poor condition. Why admit that you ate yourself obese when you can just say, "Oh, I'm diseased! It's not my fault."
A lot of diseases are both preventable and treatable through lifestyle and diet...That doesn't make them not considered a disease state. Also, many diseases are caused solely through the individuals lifestyle choices...That also does not make them not considered a disease. Morbid obesity in most cases is no more or less a disease than alcoholism, or addiction, which has long been considered a disease. Having the attachment of the term "disease" to obesity will allow for better reimbursment coverage for people to recieve adequate treatment such as education and counseling from Regisitered Dietitian as well as medical treatment to help prevent the comorbidities that often go along with obesity and are MUCH harder and more expensive to treat, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, etc...0 -
But, is there an underlying condition that makes it difficult to lose weight, maintain, and easy to gain weight? Are there biochemical abnormalities that go beyond willpower?
If there is, then it is a different disease. Hypothyroidism, PCOS, are already recognized as diseases. Illness-related obesity isn't a disease unto itself. It is a symptom.
Yeah. There are. We call it leptin resistance. It's just not classified as a disease.0 -
The financial implications of this boggle my mind.
If obesity in and of itself is a disease, everything that is currently being sold to fight obesity (effective or not,) is going to be covered under health insurance.
So my health insurance is now going to be used to buy my gym membership, my "it works!" wraps, my HCG, my Jenny Craig, my Nutrisystem, my Thighmaster, my Weight Watchers, my raspberry ketones, my green tea extract......the list is long.
How much are we prepared to pay for health insurance? The insurance companies are sure to pass along their increased costs in the form of higher premiums.0 -
This may sound harsh...but is it neccesarily wrong that obese people be charged more for health care? Just like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, most of the time obesity is the result of a choice to be excessive in eating and ignoring healthy habits. If you make the choice to eat too much, maybe its acceptable that you be charged more for health care.
I can't say I don't agree.
Please tell me why then are the majority of obese people of lower socio-economic status? Hooray for charging poor people more for health care! *eyeroll*
Because poor people buy cheap food, which coincidentally is highly processed, high in calories, and full of hydrogenated oils, fat, sugar, and sodium.
Head of lettuce- $.98
Doritios- $3.00
Your argument is null.
The problem lies in education. Lower income classes tend to have less education- directly linked to poor choices (think drug addiction, alcoholism, etc.....)
For real?! How about you compare the price to an actual vegetable....ya know....one with calories? Eggplant, squash, broccoli? All more expensive and harder to prep than doritos. Add it the fact that doritos are easy to get at any corner store and vegetables need to come from a supermarket, which is not always accessable in low-income neighborhoods. Plus the fact that some grocery stores don't actually carry much of a produce section. When I lived in Buffalo, the grocery store of the neighborhood I was doing volunteer work in had 10 kinds of vegetables with none of the 3 I mentioned. The grocery store near the upper middle class neighborhood where I was living had 30 kinds of vegetables. They call it "serving their customers".
Search the term food desert and educate yourself.0 -
I don't think it should be labelled as a disease as such... but I do think that the resulting health issues should be addressed. Someone posted this article a while back which I found very thought provoking:
http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2013/march/1361848247/karen-hitchcock/fat-city
I can't thank you enough for posting the link to this article. I have never thought of most of the ideas that this author address. It really enlightened me to how dangerous it is to be overweight. I printed this out and I am going to post it up as a reminder that you really do make your own choice to be fat.0 -
This may sound harsh...but is it neccesarily wrong that obese people be charged more for health care? Just like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, most of the time obesity is the result of a choice to be excessive in eating and ignoring healthy habits. If you make the choice to eat too much, maybe its acceptable that you be charged more for health care.
I can't say I don't agree.
Please tell me why then are the majority of obese people of lower socio-economic status? Hooray for charging poor people more for health care! *eyeroll*
Because poor people buy cheap food, which coincidentally is highly processed, high in calories, and full of hydrogenated oils, fat, sugar, and sodium.
Head of lettuce- $.98
Doritios- $3.00
Your argument is null.
The problem lies in education. Lower income classes tend to have less education- directly linked to poor choices (think drug addiction, alcoholism, etc.....)
For real?! How about you compare the price to an actual vegetable....ya know....one with calories? Eggplant, squash, broccoli? All more expensive and harder to prep than doritos. Add it the fact that doritos are easy to get at any corner store and vegetables need to come from a supermarket, which is not always accessable in low-income neighborhoods. Plus the fact that some grocery stores don't actually carry much of a produce section. When I lived in Buffalo, the grocery store of the neighborhood I was doing volunteer work in had 10 kinds of vegetables with none of the 3 I mentioned. The grocery store near the upper middle class neighborhood where I was living had 30 kinds of vegetables. They call it "serving their customers".
Search the term food desert and educate yourself.
You can still find things cheaper than junk food... a pound of bananas is still cheaper than even a 50 cent bag of chips... at least it is here and you can feed more people off that one pound of bananas than that bag of chips. And EVERYTHING is harder to prep than a bag of doritos or cookies or whatever... because it takes more than the 2 seconds it takes to open the package. While I get that there are fewer fresh options in some places, that doesn't mean that it is totally unreasonable to eat relatively healthier. Hell, even at Mcdonald's you can choose to drink water rather than soda... you can choose apple slices rather than french fries (at least here you can)... The bigger problem is people don't want to do the work that comes with eating a better diet... and people don't want to realize that the long term costs are much cheaper even when the short term costs may be slightly higher.
I wonder if anyone has replicated the Twinkie Diet yet.0 -
This may sound harsh...but is it neccesarily wrong that obese people be charged more for health care? Just like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, most of the time obesity is the result of a choice to be excessive in eating and ignoring healthy habits. If you make the choice to eat too much, maybe its acceptable that you be charged more for health care.
I can't say I don't agree.
Please tell me why then are the majority of obese people of lower socio-economic status? Hooray for charging poor people more for health care! *eyeroll*
Because poor people buy cheap food, which coincidentally is highly processed, high in calories, and full of hydrogenated oils, fat, sugar, and sodium.
Head of lettuce- $.98
Doritios- $3.00
Your argument is null.
The problem lies in education. Lower income classes tend to have less education- directly linked to poor choices (think drug addiction, alcoholism, etc.....)
Yep. The old argument that cheap eating is less healthy just isn't true. If you are too lazy to search out alternative then fine. But don't claim you (anyone I mean) can't afford to eat healthy.
Eggs are cheap.
Boneless/skinless chicken breast is one of the cheapest meats available.
Pollack in this area often goes on sale for a price cheaper than good ground chuck
Frozen vegetables are cheap
Seasonal fruits/vegetables are cheap
Tuna is cheap
Boneless sirloin chops often go on sale for cheap.
This is just a few examples and with those few examples many different meals can be prepared.0 -
Good I hope that's true now maybe we can start looking at preventative measures and actual solid treatment to treat a disease with such high recidivism and mortality.
you mean like making a choice not to eat fast food 3+ times a week, drinking soda like its going out of style, staying on the couch instead of going outside and doing something or checking your house for ghosts that are preventing you from doing pushups, situps and other sorted exercises that you can do that you need not belong to a gym?
i think its a bad idea, now people will use it even more as a crutch. yes, i caught the fat from some guy in brazil. i think he got it having sex with a hippo.0 -
Um....isn't it in many cases? I'm not sure I agree with this."A reason often given for making the declaration is that it would help remove the stigma that obesity is a result of eating too much or exercising too little."
YES FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!!0 -
This is a WIN for providers such as myself who work in a "medical center" who's focus is treating the dis-ease of living created by the symptom of obesity.
Too many times I come across someone who would greatly benefit from my services and that of my team to discover the root of the issues that have resulted in the dis-ease of living but can not afford our services.
I am not a fan of labels and codes and diagnosis's as they follow us throughout our lives in our medical charts and therefore insurance. However, if giving it the diagnosis allows me to reach, touch, teach and affect more people's lives then I'm all for it.
As with a lot of classifications of dis-ease including addictions it has allowed insurance carriers to pay for treatment of many kinds.
Why would we shun someone seeking treatment and help to turn their lives around in regards to obesity when we support someone who goes into treatment centers seeking help to turn around their lives for alcholosim or another form of addiction when insurance pays for that?
The lack of EASE in living should be treated in any form possible when the person is ready for change and if my insurance that I pay premium dollar for helps me in that treatment, I'd take full advantage of that offer.
A lot of great thoughts in the previous posts, the above are mine.0 -
My ONLY issue with this is I suspect this will make it easier for the people seeking SSI because of their morbid obesity to actually get those payments.
Sorry I actually AM a sympathetic person. And actual quite liberal about many things. But I do NOT approve of ANY tax dollars paying someone because they are "too fat to work".0 -
The financial implications of this boggle my mind.
If obesity in and of itself is a disease, everything that is currently being sold to fight obesity (effective or not,) is going to be covered under health insurance.
So my health insurance is now going to be used to buy my gym membership, my "it works!" wraps, my HCG, my Jenny Craig, my Nutrisystem, my Thighmaster, my Weight Watchers, my raspberry ketones, my green tea extract......the list is long.
How much are we prepared to pay for health insurance? The insurance companies are sure to pass along their increased costs in the form of higher premiums.
It doesn't even work that way now. Health insurance has the choice to cover or not to cover something, and when they do cover it, they have a choice on what to charge for it.
My stepdad has COPD, and the medication he needs for it, if bought through his insurance, in the US, would cost $400 a month - nearly half of my parents' monthly net income. It's technically covered by insurance, but because of various politics, it costs an outrageous amount of money. So, they get it from a Canadian seller and don't go through insurance, where they can get a 3-month supply of the exact same thing (kid you not, same manufacturer, same brand, everything) for under $100.
Many insurance companies don't cover things like certain birth controls, while other medications - yes, even ones that people depend on just to live - are either not covered at all, or require what's known as "pre-authorization," where you have to get a form, take it to your doctor to fill out part of it, maybe take it to your pharmacy to fill out part, then send it to your insurance, where they'll decide whether they'll cover it for your particular circumstance, and for how long.
Oh yeah, and insurance doesn't generally cover over the counter medications (flexible spending accounts might, but those are generally paid for by the person and their employer).
So no, this ruling won't make every insurance cover every weight loss thing. Yes, some might choose to help cover the cost of a gym or Weight Watchers membership (likely under provisions similar to handling group counseling sessions and drug addiction treatment), or might cover the cost of surgery, but most of the other things you list will likely not be covered, if for no other reason than being over the counter.0 -
Just read an online article on this literally 5 minutes. Curious to see everybody else's opinions.
I won't speak for everybody--don't knowt their story. But at least for me, my weight gains & my obesity was NOT a disease but simply being irresponsible with my body. I was/am an emotional eater---if I liked it, I'd eat it, and if it was cheap, better! I hated to exercise and I didn't own a scale so I figured I was about the same as I was after high school 2-3 years ago.
WRONG. I had gained over 20 pounds and I got to over 200 pounds for the first time in my life. I was in denial and just figured I'd stop thinking about it. A Coca-Cola addiction ($30 a week to feed my and my bf's caffeine addiction), working at a mall (even worse, a Starbucks where I'd get free drinks!!!) and never breaking a sweat got me to where I was at.
It took getting a new job and a co-worker talking about dieting & losing weight a lot before I entertained the idea for myself. I walked into a local gym, scared to my wits, to talk to them about a membership trial since they had a special going on. I was hesistant and almost chickened out, but I had no decent excuse. I went in and joined February 18th, 2013.
The next week, I had a free physical evaluation from a personal trainer, and that was the most humilating "fat" story for me. It was like "The Biggest Loser'' weigh ins, but with some super-fit guy taking my measurements. I felt so disgusting. I had a 30 or 31 BMI and I weighed in at 204. We did a trial workout for 30 minutes and then I left the gym earlier and cried off and on for the rest of the night...
HOWEVER, three to four months later, I have stuck it out. Didn't see any weight loss for 2 months, but inches started to fall off slowly. April was an awesome month for me, with an 8-lb loss. I'm half way to my "goal" weight. My weight fluctuates but eventually I lose at least a pound or two a month.
I'm now about 18 pounds down with another 17-20 to go. I want to get to 170 first, then maybe down to 160 (my junior high weight!)0 -
nope. You cant pop pills and make obesity go away. Its not a disease.
Tell that to Dr Oz and his millions of followers.0 -
i don't think diet and exercise can cure aids or cancer?0
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