My awesome friend Jenny commented on this article on her Facebook page today. Thanks Jenny. It comes on the heels of me attending Shaklee’s Global Conference in St. Louis, MO where I learned about cutting edge research the company is doing to advance nutrition science. I was surrounded by 70 and 80-year-old men and women who literally look like the children of their peers. The vibrant life of vitality they live is inspiring!!
I can see how penalizing self-destructive behaviors can lead to a slippery slope of prejudice and discrimination that isn’t fair. But, it’s conversely unfair to tax those of us who are working hard to take care of our bodies as best we can amidst a dirty world filled with pollutants we can’t stop. But, our health care system is so poorly incentived, it is ludicrous to think that throwing more money (money we don’t have) at it is a reasonable solution.
Health Reform Idea: Put down the doughnut
Obesity health costs: $147 billion a year
There’s no doubt that the bulk of the nation’s health care costs are self-inflicted. Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight are the top risks for early death, accounting for more than 1 million premature deaths each year, with physical inactivity, high blood sugar and alcohol use not far behind, according to an April study by the Harvard School of Public Health.The price tag for obesity has soared to $147 billion a year, new government studies show, and smoking costs about $193 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity.
“To have hundreds of thousands of premature deaths caused by these modifiable risk factors is shocking,” noted Goodarz Danaei, a co-author of the Harvard risk study.
I’m glad people are starting to discuss the real issues. Read on!
