GOV REQ "Obesity Ratings" by 2014 ?!!

hooah_mj

Can this possibly be true?!

BMI ratings, to be exact. Here's just one of several I found:

"All Americans, by 2014 will be required to have an individual obesity rating electronically recorded. It has been determined that under the new health stimulus law passed by President Barack Obama recently, that all Americans, by 2014, will be required to have electronic health records which will include their height, weight and body mass index (BMI)...."

http://www.huliq.com/10017/government-wants-your-individual-obesity-rating-2014

jrich1

BMI is so out dated, it doesnt make any sense

kaciemustlose

Wow, really! I guess I better get down to a BMI of 25 then...

GooBeGone

that's completely stupid b/c BMI is NOT reliable. if u take 2 ppl the exact same in number all the way around & they both show up as overweight/obese but 1 person has a lot of fat & the other person is all muscle than it's NOT accurate! GEEZE. i personally HATE bmi. i prefer & will take bodfat % ANY time... :grumble:

missouri_rain

I sure hope it's not true, can't see how it could be, some of the fittest athletes are obese if you go by their BMI

elmct57

hypocritical, given that we have an overweight Surgeon General...

melodyg

Does it matter? Your health records already include your height and weight... and therefore your BMI. This isn't changing anything!

jbwegner

Yes, it is true. BMI is the CDC's "preferred method" for determining obesity.

dogdaze

If they know your height and weight, anyone can calculate your BMI. Cutting obesity would be an important public health measure but Governments in general are much more interested in population statistics than individual values. Sounds like a real scare story to me.

By 2014, I am hoping my BMI will be something I can be proud of :happy:

aippolito1

They should NOT be going by BMI. My BMI is 27.5 not bad but my body fat is just a little more so I don't think it's that accurate.

MacMadame

The focus on BMI is missing the point. The point is that they want people to have electronic records in a standard format. This is to improve patient care because your records are easily transferable and easier to read (because the same information is in the same place for everyone). My HCP already does all their recording in electronic form and it's great. All my test results get posted online and I can see them as soon as they are ready and access them at any time.

Yes, BMI is one of the things required on the form. But, if they put your height and weight on there, they know your BMI whether it's on the form or not as BMI is a simple formula that uses only height and weight as its inputs.

Whether or not "they" do anything with the BMI depends on your individual doctor(s) and how they feel about BMI as they are the only "they" involved in using the forms.

ritodcin03

Thanks MacMadame. I was going to write something similar.

hooah_mj

just don't let my hubs see my real #s! ha ha ha....

“The law also requires that these electronic health records be available--with appropriate security measures--on a national exchange.”

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/69436

GooBeGone

i just realized somethin. when i get down to my goal weight of 160 i'll still be classified as overweight according to BMI. :noway: but i betcha my body fat percentage will b abt 18-20%. below what's recommended as the maximum (22%). :huh:

p90xokc

They want it for when they start rationing healthcare (which some is already occuring now) You will be punished if you don't match up to your b.m.i. among other things. Eventually you'll have to get to your b.m.i. to earn the right to have the medicine you need.

jrkingery

just don't let my hubs see my real #s! ha ha ha....

“The law also requires that these electronic health records be available--with appropriate security measures--on a national exchange.”

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/69436

Personally I wouldn't put too much stock in an article on CNSNews.com. Being the Conservative..er Cybercast News Service they tend to be overly critical and spend a lot of time on "what ifs" for my taste. Especially where national health care initiatives are concerned.

jrkingery

They want it for when they start rationing healthcare (which some is already occuring now) You will be punished if you don't match up to your b.m.i. among other things. Eventually you'll have to get to your b.m.i. to earn the right to have the medicine you need.

Yeesh.. :noway:

jrkingery

Does it matter? Your health records already include your height and weight... and therefore your BMI. This isn't changing anything!

Ah, a voice of reason.

mooz

Does it matter? Your health records already include your height and weight... and therefore your BMI. This isn't changing anything!

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe I'm missing the point but our BMIs aren't really a secret. I mean...we post our info on a public form - anyone can find out my BMI - I'm female 5'6" and weigh 335lbs. I know this. Everyone on MFP now knows it and my doc. knows it. And ...I'm in Canada which means since our health care is paid for by the govt. They know it too - it's in my medical records that can be reviewed at any time by Health Canada and the Ministry of Health for Ontario.

I agree that BMI is outdated and I don't like using it to really measure anything but if the govt wants that number...they can have it.

rose1617

i just realized somethin. when i get down to my goal weight of 160 i'll still be classified as overweight according to BMI. :noway: but i betcha my body fat percentage will b abt 18-20%. below what's recommended as the maximum (22%). :huh:

See, this is where the point is made that everyone differs incredibly.
I'm about the same height as you (actually about an inch or less shorter) and my BMI is under 25, my body fat % is between 21% and 24% and I weigh 143 lbs.
I've never been 160 lbs., but at 152 I was about 30%.
My goal weight is 125, and at that point I should likely be at 18% BF, just 3-5% for 15 lbs. I do carry a lot of muscle, though.
Just goes to show every person will be different.

LotusF1ower

BMI is so out dated, it doesnt make any sense

Totally agree with this, even though one of my tickers does feature my BMI, to be honest, I use it as a guideline and not as the be all and end all of weight.

I wonder what these electronic records are going to be used for? If the answer is nothing, why the hell are they going to exist? :ohwell:

MacMadame

They will be used by you and by your doctors. When you change doctors, your records will follow you without you having to force your old doctor to cough them up (assuming you even try).

I think they'll use them for research too but I'm not sure how that will work and what permissions will or won't be required.

anthemfamily

The electronic record mandates were passed years ago with HIPAA, the stimulus package just tweaked it a bit. This is a healthcare regulation. Part of HIPAA is safeguarding these records from privacy breaches. I am not quoting this from any article, I am the HIPAA officer for the medical practice I work at. This really isn't anything new.

Traci

GooBeGone

i'm waitin 4 the day that i can take my 160lb fit self in2 the dr's office (wearin baggy clothes like i normally do) & have him tell me i'm overweight accordin 2 my bmi & liftin up my shirt so he can see my near 4pack lol! then tell him in a sarcastic voice "yes i'm clearly overweight :huh: " hehehe :bigsmile:

dgroulx

BMI is a commonly used health tool. But, you cannot get your true BMI by plugging numbers into a website. If you want your true BMI, you need to measure fat on different body parts using calipers. You also have to measure body parts like length of arm between wrist and elbow, wrist circumference, neck, ankles, - you name it. It's a big process, but it is an extremely accurate measurement of obesity.

MacMadame

BMI is a commonly used health tool. But, you cannot get your true BMI by plugging numbers into a website.

BMI is a formula calculated by inputting your height and weight. It doesn't change based on body fat.

GooBeGone

If you want your true BMI, you need to measure fat on different body parts using calipers. You also have to measure body parts like length of arm between wrist and elbow, wrist circumference, neck, ankles, - you name it.

u get ur bmi with just ur height & weight. what u're referring 2 is bodyfat % which i personally prefer. bmi is outdated.... heck, was it ever IN date lol

but yes bodyfat % is a much better accurate measurement.

dgroulx

If you want your true BMI, you need to measure fat on different body parts using calipers. You also have to measure body parts like length of arm between wrist and elbow, wrist circumference, neck, ankles, - you name it.

u get ur bmi with just ur height & weight. what u're referring 2 is bodyfat % which i personally prefer. bmi is outdated.... heck, was it ever IN date lol

but yes bodyfat % is a much better accurate measurement.

Yes, you are right. That's what I was thinking of.

anotheryearolder

Service denial due to BMI is already happening. Yesterday I heard of a vet that was denied a knee replacement due to having a BMI one point over what was deemed acceptable. He was told to reapply next March, if he has a BMI that they approved of.

So, yeah. It's not only coming; in some cases it's already here.

GooBeGone

Service denial due to BMI is already happening. Yesterday I heard of a vet that was denied a knee replacement due to having a BMI one point over what was deemed acceptable. He was told to reapply next March, if he has a BMI that they approved of.

So, yeah. It's not only coming; in some cases it's already here.

that doesn't make any sense at all, but in those cases they r lookin 4 an excuse. for some ppl they will NEVER b able 2 get in2 the "acceptable" range of BMI b/c of the way their body is shaped.

i personally can carry more weight than the average woman & look small. right now i'm abt 230, if some1 guesses my weight they normally say 170-180. so these ppl r on avg abt 50lbs off. it's b/c of my body shape (hourglass) that i'm able 2 carry more weight & look avg.

hourglass figures tend 2 carry muscle everywhere, versus pear shaped would carry it in the lower body & upside down triangle (or spoon shape) carries it in the upper body. the ruler shapes r like the hourglass shapes but without the definitive waist-line & unfortunately that means 10lbs looks like 20lbs. :frown:

so if that was me i'd hafta be an unhealthy underweight 2 qualify b/c i'll always b termed as overweight due 2 my BMI. i'm 5'5 1/2" & 33yrs old. my ideal weight is 160. i'd hafta b abt 150 in order 2 be at the highest level of healthy. i literally need 2 weigh 111.2 - 150.2 lbs. to have a healthy BMI. even if i weight 140lbs that would b ridiculous 4 me. i'd look anorexic. This is y i HATE BMI. :grumble: it's outdated & un-realistic. the medical profession should always go by bodyfat.

if i was 112lbs then i'm healthy??!! :noway: for me i'd b on my deathbed, anorexic & bulimac...

my BONES weigh that much! what abt the rest of me?!

maddox22

Can this possibly be true?!

BMI ratings, to be exact. Here's just one of several I found:

"All Americans, by 2014 will be required to have an individual obesity rating electronically recorded. It has been determined that under the new health stimulus law passed by President Barack Obama recently, that all Americans, by 2014, will be required to have electronic health records which will include their height, weight and body mass index (BMI)...."

http://www.huliq.com/10017/government-wants-your-individual-obesity-rating-2014

Okay, so basically the health care law requires electronic medical records. Electronic medical records have been shown to reduce costs, misdiagnosis, harmful medication interactions, and inappropriate treatment. They're a GOOD THING.

Your medical records probably already include your height and weight, and a lot of them probably also include BMI or at least some approximation thereof. Nowhere does this say anything about requiring any action or scoring or rating or anything based on BMI. It just says that they want to switch from paper records, which are expensive to maintain, inaccurate, and difficult to transfer, to electronic records. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to pay $5/page copying fee every time you switch doctors and want to transfer your records?

There is a lot of misinformation out there about the health care bill. I'd be extremely skeptical about anything that sounds too crazy or intrusive.

This bill will actually prohibit and eliminate a lot of the denial of care based on BMI, as far as I understand it--since you cannot be denied care or coverage based on preexisting conditions.