Agreed - but we ('we' in the generalized sense, as in "we Americans") are going to have to see a major reform in our lifestyles and attitudes before any kind of major health system reform will be effective.

Originally Posted by UncleBob Agreed - but we ('we' in the generalized sense, as in "we Americans") are going to have to see a major reform in our lifestyles and attitudes before any kind of major health system reform will be effective.

I think the reverse is true and I'll explain why. Statistics show that obesity levels are highest for the poor. (see: Correlation between Obesity and Poverty)
So, it's safe to say the majority of these people have no health insurance.

Perhaps if they did, and they had a doctor to "measure their waist" so to speak and tell them they need to lose weight or else, obesity levels would drop. Helping eliminate heart disease and other obesity related diseases and cut care costs.

Originally Posted by HowStern I think the reverse is true and I'll explain why. Statistics show that obesity levels are highest for the poor. (see: Correlation between Obesity and Poverty) So, it's safe to say the majority of these people have no health insurance. Perhaps if they did, and they had a doctor to "measure their waist" so to speak and tell them they need to lose weight or else, obesity levels would drop. Helping eliminate heart disease and other obesity related diseases and cut care costs.

No, because when the doctor measures someone's waist and tells them they need to lose weight, they get mad, file a complaint against the doctor, then go to McDonald's for a Big Mac and Large fries.

Originally Posted by UncleBob No, because when the doctor measures someone's waist and tells them they need to lose weight, they get mad, file a complaint against the doctor, then go to McDonald's for a Big Mac and Large fries.

That's about the same thing I was thinking. You've got to be pretty stupid if the only way you know you need to lose weight is if a doctor tells you to.

Nah I think when they actually see a piece of paper with their cholesterol levels on it, and it sinks into their brain like the trans fat from their biggie fries that they are in trouble, there is a better chance they will lose weight.

I actually know a rather large woman who has always been large but recently the doctor told her her cholesterol was too high and she would die. She started eating healthy that day. I just thought of another one as I wrote that actually. The second one got a gym membership and goes every day but still isn't eating as well as she should.

Originally Posted by HowStern I actually know a rather large woman who has always been large but recently the doctor told her her cholesterol was too high and she would die. She started eating healthy that day. I just thought of another one as I wrote that actually. The second one got a gym membership and goes every day but still isn't eating as well as she should.

Seems to me that is where common sense should kick in. Being overweight and not eating healthy = your probably have bad cholesterol levels and a lot of stress added on to your heart. It shouldn't take a doctor going, "hey your cholesterol levels are high, you should probably start eating healthy and try losing a few pounds" to get someone to lose a few pounds.

Originally Posted by perdition(troy Seems to me that is where common sense should kick in. Being overweight and not eating healthy = your probably have bad cholesterol levels and a lot of stress added on to your heart. It shouldn't take a doctor going, "hey your cholesterol levels are high, you should probably start eating healthy and try losing a few pounds" to get someone to lose a few pounds.

How are those common sense issues? You inherently know exactly what you should be eating and how much you should exercise? How many people in the projects in the trailer park even know what cholesterol is and they're supposed to magically know that they have dangerously high levels of it?

How many other things are common sense? How about using CAG, Goozex, or GameTZ to trade games instead of Gamestop? You'd think that people would just know where they could get the most value and would seek it out. Do they use this magic common knowledge? No. Instead they just go to the store because it's the only place they know.

It's the same thing. The only restaurants anyone sees outside of downtown metropolitan areas are fast food joints and gas stations. If it's so bad, why is it the only food available to most people?

Common knowledge for the poor:

Fast food is cheap, easy to find, and tastes good.

Like depescal said it isn't common knowledge for some people surpisingly.

http://mystateline.com/content/fulltext/?cid=75501

Take a look at that.

This is exactly why we need get these people insurance.

thats a british study, so i guess thats one more reason we shouldnt have universal health care.

plus, i dont buy that not knowing what lungs look like is "a precursor to poorer health"

But like the article says, just imagine how Americans would do on it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...d-science.html

Top 25 for reading science and math in the world. Guess who didn't make the list.

seriously, do you guys really think people are so stupid they need to be told that being fat and overweight is bad for their health.

Uhh, did your ead the link I posted where people couldn't identify the location of their hearts and lungs?

Originally Posted by perdition(troy seriously, do you guys really think people are so stupid they need to be told that being fat and overweight is bad for their health.

Yes and no.

They know that being overweight is a health risk.

But they don't consider themselves overweight, or they think themselves an exception to the rule.

It's called the fundamental attribution error.

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru...hemselves-foot

Yesterday the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations decided to investigate the practice of recission. This is when you pay your premiums for years to a healthcare insurer, then get sick, and then have your insurance cancelled. The insurance industry executives at the hearing did not exactly cover themselves with glory: A Texas nurse said she lost her coverage, after she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, for failing to disclose a visit to a dermatologist for acne. The sister of an Illinois man who died of lymphoma said his policy was rescinded for the failure to report a possible aneurysm and gallstones that his physician noted in his chart but did not discuss with him. ....Late in the hearing, [Bart] Stupak, the committee chairman, put the executives on the spot. Stupak asked each of them whether he would at least commit his company to immediately stop rescissions except where they could show "intentional fraud." The answer from all three executives: "No." Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) said that a public insurance plan should be a part of any overhaul because it would force private companies to treat consumers fairly or risk losing them. "This is precisely why we need a public option," Dingell said. Even the Republicans on the committee couldn't defend the insurance company position. A few more hearings like this and getting a public option into healthcare reform is suddenly going to look like a real possibility. Nice going, guys.

How could anything be worse again?

Originally Posted by HowStern I think the reverse is true and I'll explain why. Statistics show that obesity levels are highest for the poor. (see: Correlation between Obesity and Poverty) So, it's safe to say the majority of these people have no health insurance. Perhaps if they did, and they had a doctor to "measure their waist" so to speak and tell them they need to lose weight or else, obesity levels would drop. Helping eliminate heart disease and other obesity related diseases and cut care costs.

BOOM. HEADSHOT.

But this is true. The more poor you are the fatter you tend to be since the cheapest foods are often the worst for you. But another thing that would help is if we stopped deep frying, refrying, ULTRA GRILLING and choking everything with preservatives. Everything has so much artificial shit in there that it's simply amazing. I'm fat and yes I know it's bad for me, but currently the cost of HEALTHY food is so ing amazing that it's cheaper to just get the cheapest shit you can find.

Also of worthy note is that when people go to foreign countries they tend to lose weight if they stay there for a certain amount of time that's longer then a visit. Not shoving preservatives and additional shit tends to fix the body. I lost significant amounts of weight just going to Mexico for a while because the food was more natural and I wasn't eating SKUNCH

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I'm sure the diarrhea helped too.

The first and most serious problem with healthcare in this country is that it is a for-profit industry.

Originally Posted by JolietJake I'm sure the diarrhea helped too.

That's only crap we say to keep white people out so they don't ruin the women. I have the shits far more in America then in Mexico since I'm not getting refried preservatives up the bung hole.

Originally Posted by Paco I'm fat and yes I know it's bad for me, but currently the cost of HEALTHY food is so ing amazing that it's cheaper to just get the cheapest shit you can find.

That's a crock of shit. Are you going to tell me that a bag of carrots is more expensive than a can of Pringles? If so, is it significantly more expensive? Is whole grain bread that much more than white? Is water that much more than soda!?


"Why you filing for bankruptcy man?"

"I ate too much fresh fruit."

Hey RAM. It's called a garden and it's pretty cheap.

Hell, you can even grow tomatos without a patch these days and you can do damn near anything with them. Put those with a 99 cent head of lettuce and you have something called a salad. Eat one of those before every meal and you won't have as much room for the processed crap that you might eat for the entree.

It's a bad conspiracy by the grocers of America. They push the junk food and soda because the profit margin is huge. They can leave the stuff on the shelves for days while the veggies go bad after a couple days. Also, if they pushed veggies and fruits, people might figure out they can grow the stuff on their own and just cut out the grocery store for everything but milk, break, and meat.

Another thing you can do to be healthier is to cut out soda completely. It's got absolutely zero nutritional value and a ton of processed sugar but I'm pretty sure that some CAGs would be willing to rip up the Bill of Rights before they gave up Mountain Dew.

But hey, this isn't a get healthier thread. This thread is all about how Obama is trying to kill all of us. It's about leaving the HMOs to do what they've been doing for decades now. Deny. Deny. Deny.