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Paying the healthcare costs of obesity

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Replies

  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    Pills over prevention appeals to the masses.

    So do fad diets and woo, vs. an understanding of nutrition and calories and the benefits of exercise and daily activity.

    So true even with great resources like MFP to help gain these much needed understandings. Dr. Oz viewers I expect are looking for a pill vs. understanding. There is also the willingness factor to apply the understanding.
  • nettaISbetta
    nettaISbetta Posts: 4 Member
    For what it's worth, I've lived in both Singapore and in the US. I've never had to wait a week+ for basic health care. It's MUCH easier to go into the doctor here and see them and much quicker. Same day and same hour, if I want to. Just ... for the record.
  • KiwiAlexP
    KiwiAlexP Posts: 186 Member
    corsayre8 wrote: »
    Are you also going to tax smokers? Alcoholics? Motorcycle riders? Race car driver? Equestrians?

    People engage in all kinds of activities that increase risk of injury or illness. Choosing one group to tax is called discrimination.

    Have been obese for a large portion of my adult life, and I haven't had a single illness or medical expense related to my weight. However, I have had many bills related to my physical activities (all sustained when I was not obese). Obesity is a potential indicator or contributing factor to other health issues, in very few cases does it have medical complications alone.

    I know the above is an older comment but these things are taxed in some countries. In addition to GST there are specific taxes in New Zealand on cigarettes, alcohol and ACC (healthcare) levies are included in vehicle registrations and everyone pays ACC levies on salaries

  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    1. Remove insurance from the process.

    2. Remove government from the process.

    3. Implement tort reform.

    Medical costs will return to normal inflationary index - all will be fine. Increasing medical costs are a government manufactured problem.
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  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    edited September 2016
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    1. Remove insurance from the process.

    2. Remove government from the process.

    3. Implement tort reform.

    Medical costs will return to normal inflationary index - all will be fine. Increasing medical costs are a government manufactured problem.

    By implementing tort reform, you limit people's access to the courts...if a doctor is negligent and kills my husband, why should he/she not be held responsible?
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    eveandqsmom wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    1. Remove insurance from the process.

    2. Remove government from the process.

    3. Implement tort reform.

    Medical costs will return to normal inflationary index - all will be fine. Increasing medical costs are a government manufactured problem.

    By implementing tort reform, you limit people's access to the courts...if a doctor is negligent and kills my husband, why should he/she not be held responsible?

    The primary focus of much of tort reform is capping non-economic damages, not necessarily limiting access to courts or preventing redress for serious injuries. Of course, the comment you're responding to is also incredibly simplistic and this isn't an area that is easily simplified. We do have a problem in the US with the cost of medical care, and it is, in part, related to defensive medicine and the cost of medical malpratice insurance. I'm also not convinced that the layers of administration that have taken over hospitals and insurance companies have improved the level of care. Keep in mind that in all of this, doctor's incomes have experienced a steep drops at times, and with amount of education they go through to get to where they are, they're not exactly overcompensated.

    http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/could-malpractice-reform-save-the-us-health-care-system/

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/05/28/are-u-s-doctors-paid-too-much/#5c05f26c3e5c

    http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2016/public/overview

    http://www.bestmedicaldegrees.com/salary-of-doctors/

    http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/544/

    http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/01/seriously-doctors-say-theyre-underpaid/comment-page-14/
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    sarahthes wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    WBB55 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    WBB55 wrote: »
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    The riparian rights discussion is fascinating

    You just wanted to write riparian rights, didn't you?

    I just wanted to point out that there is such a thing. Rather specialized area of practice even. With actual laws and stuff.

    So for property discussions do you prefer the bundle of sticks or Swiss cheese analogy? I personally love Swiss cheese on hamburgers.

    It would seem not everyone in this thread agrees there ::should:: be rights to something like that. it isn't 'Murican enough and infringes on their freedom. Or something.

    there is a difference between the fundamental right to have ones property and some pie in the sky dreamed up right that everyone somehow has a natural human right to access free healthcare...

    Obviously the people in these countries would disagree that it's something "dreamed up":
    Norway
    New Zealand
    Japan
    Germany
    Belgium
    United Kingdom
    Kuwait
    Sweden
    Bahrain
    Brunei
    Canada
    Netherlands
    Austria
    United Arab Emirates
    Finland
    Slovenia
    Denmark
    Luxembourg
    France
    Australia
    Ireland
    Italy
    Portugal
    Cyprus
    Greece
    Spain
    South Korea
    Iceland
    Hong Kong
    Singapore
    Switzerland
    Israel

    not sure what any of those countries have to do with the US....

    In most of those countries you have to wait one year plus for basic care, so not so sure that there "right" is being realized...

    As someone who lived in one of those countries, I've never had to wait that long for care I needed...

    When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes (the most severe health issue I've had other than an emergent situation that occured when I was already in the hospital), I was at the diabetes educator and given a (free) glucometer plus a small starting supply of lancets and test strips within 1 business day.

    I have a family doctor and while I can't always get in same day to see him, he works out of a shared practice clinic and I've always been seen by someone within 45 minutes. The few times I've been to emergency I've been seen within 2 hours. When I took my son to emergency because his testicle tripled in size and changed colour we were assessed within 30 minutes and he had an ultrasound to rule out torsion within an hour.

    The only time I've had to wait to see a specialist was when my doctor referred my son to rule out any further issues. But it was listed as non urgent on the referral form, and had it been more urgent we would have been seen same day.

    Also, none of the above cost me a dime directly. I have no issue with my tax rate--I feel it is fair given that I utilize what my taxes pay for.

    In my country, the right to universal healthcare is enshrined in our charter of rights & freedoms, which is part of our constitution.

    my cousin lives in Italy and he waited a year to have a basic hernia operation and still could not go in, and then had to go and pay a private doctor about 10K for the procedure....

    If you don't believe what I am saying go read some of the horror stories coming out of the UK about wait times and hospital conditions...

    I live in the UK and actually had a hernia repair done yesterday. I only waited 3 months from initial referral to the op, which is pretty reasonable considering it wasn't an emergency. If it had strangulated (or whatever it's called) then I would have been operated on immediately as an emergency. Yes we do pay national insurance (well my partner does), but even had neither of us have working I would still have been treated, because free at the point of use medical care is a right for us here and I couldn't imagine ever having to decide whether I can afford to be treated before something turns in to an emergency (which could happen with a hernia) simply because my partner has a minimum wage job and I stay at home to look after my toddler and disabled son.

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