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Coming to an America near you?

Whitewing

Well-known member
Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say society must grapple with a blunt question: Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die prematurely from their unhealthy habits?

Annual health care costs are roughly $96 billion for smokers and $147 billion for the obese, the government says. These costs accompany sometimes heroic attempts to prolong lives, including surgery, chemotherapy and other measures.

But despite these rescue attempts, smokers tend to die 10 years earlier on average, and the obese die five to 12 years prematurely, according to various researchers' estimates.

This is my life. I should be able to do what I want," said Sebastian Lopez, a college student from Queens, speaking last September when the New York City Board of Health approved the soda size rules.

Critics also contend that tobacco- and calorie-control measures place a disproportionately heavy burden on poor people. That's because they:

-Smoke more than the rich, and have higher obesity rates.

-Have less money so sales taxes hit them harder. One study last year found poor, nicotine-dependent smokers in New York - a state with very high cigarette taxes - spent as much as a quarter of their entire income on smokes.

-Are less likely to have a car to shop elsewhere if the corner bodega or convenience store stops stocking their vices.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_HEALTH_COSTS_REALITY_CHECK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-26-10-03-12

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I think an appointed death panel is in order to resolve these issues......."true government leadership" as our resident bus-load would say. :D
 

MoGal

Well-known member
Well, I posted a link in another thread... Obamacare starting next year does require higher insurance premiums for smokers and the older you are the higher it is.... I posted it in Mainstream media news they forgot to tell us...

the only way they are going to change obesity for the poor folks is to change the food stamp program ..... take soda, chips and processed food away from it... maybe if they allowed them to buy some soap, washing powder and toilet paper they wouldn't be stealing Tide. Actually, if they ran it more like the WIC program, you'd see a big difference. Also, they need to require them to watch a video on how to prepare vegetable dishes and meats using a crockpot or baking in the oven. However, I have found that most of them don't always have a toaster, microwave or crockpot.... basic things I can't imagine being without.

But how are you gonna change the food stamp program since the food industry would pour lobbyist money into preventing any change and don't forget Big Pharma who makes money when you are unhealthy????

For Michelle Obama's healthy school eating..... I can't see it at our local public school as breakfast consists of burritos, tater tots, french toast sticks, biscuits n gravy and lunch consists of pizza, french fries, cheeseburger, burritos, tacos, ..... just more high calorie food... which seems to be processed foods also.....

Many of those on food stamps also have Medicaid so when the food chain makes them sick, they have health insurance.... and they run to the ER for a runny nose, aches and pains because they don't have to pay anything for it.

I did read an article a few years ago that said if you want to hurt the poor people the most, then raise taxes on cigarettes and I guess it still holds true today .

Becoming a foster parent opened up a whole new world to me, yes their parent does not own a vehicle (I can't imagine being w/o one) and yes the kids are hooked on sugar, soda and processed foods. I even had one little boy tell me he should have soda and chips on demand. These kids only like mashed potatoes, corn and green beans..... when they leave my house they have tried brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, spinach and many other vegetables.

Tobacco by itself doesn't cause near the cancer that all the chemicals they add into it does ..... so why are they allowed to add it??? Follow the money trail to get your answer....
 
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