Thread: Overweight Americans

Originally Posted by Thunder

I think the first thing we should do, is increase the health insurance premiums for fat people..and reduce them for thin people.

And this, friends, is why the Democratic Party needs to control your healthcare.


Holy ****.

Originally Posted by Thunder

Why are soo many Americans soo very over weight, compared to say..Canadians?

When I was in Canada, I saw very vew fat people...if any. In fact I can't remember more than maybe 3.

And yet, as soon as I drove into Washington State, BMI seemed to triple.

What's up with us? Is it something special we are eating? Have we become a country of lazy sloths?

What's the solution to this problem?

I think the first thing we should do, is increase the health insurance premiums for fat people..and reduce them for thin people.

We have generally become an obsessive, self-indulgent populace, with too much idle time on our hands, and we've had far too much for too long. We have let the idea of personal responsibility fade into obscurity, and we rationalize ways to blame our own shortcomings on other people or factors.

Originally Posted by JayDubya

And this, friends, is why the Democratic Party needs to control your healthcare.


Holy ****.

Hey, we've been doing that **** to smokers for years now. I don't hear anyone screaming about that.

This thread starts out with a false unbacked up premise based on a supposed anecdotal experience.


Facts:


United States vs. Canada: Which has the lower obesity rate? «

"The numbers were also broken down by ethnicity and gender, showing that 27 percent of Canadian men are considered obese compared to 33 percent of American men. The difference is even greater among women, 24 percent of Canadian women versus 36 percent of American women, NPR reports.

According to the AP, there was interestingly not a statistically significant difference in childhood obesity rates in Canada (12%) and the United States (15.5%)."


Statistically, very close.

Canada is not as skinny as the OP suggests.

Originally Posted by tessaesque

So the question then becomes, when the risk is equal, why should I pay more than him merely because he's skinny?

Statistically, the risk isn't equal. That's the point. That's why you should pay more. Your question, "why should I pay more just because he's skinny" is akin to asking, "why should a smoker pay more just because he smokes?" Smokers and overweight people should pay more because, statistically, smoking and "overweightness" brings more health risks even if there are exceptions to the rule.

Originally Posted by lizzie

Hey, we've been doing that **** to smokers for years now. I don't hear anyone screaming about that.

Yeah, I don't really see how this is any different. Obesity and smoking come with greater health risks. Thus, insurance companies charge higher premiums for them. This is not a new, Democratic idea.

Originally Posted by ThePlayDrive

Yeah, I don't really see how this is any different. Obesity and smoking come with greater health risks. Thus, insurance companies charge higher premiums for them. This is not a new, Democratic idea.

True...it's how insurance works. I may of been the safest driver in the country but the fact at one point I was a 21 year old male was reason enough for my insurance to be high.

Originally Posted by JayDubya

And this, friends, is why the Democratic Party needs to control your healthcare.


Holy ****.

u have a problem with rewarding success & penalizing bad behavior?

why should the health insurance premiums of healthy people be higher due to the poor choices of unhealthy people? Logic suggests a true Conservative or Libertarian would support my POV, as my POV rewards good choices & penalizes poor ones...and seeks to have folks be less accountable for the poor choices of others.

Originally Posted by tessaesque

I'm using myself as the example here, as I did initially in my first post. But the point remains whether its me or any other overweight person. Saying, "Oh, you're 10lb over ideal, that's an extra 3% on your premiums" is a stupid, illogical approach to the obesity problem.

money talks, and if being overweight means an extra $100 per month in premiums, some folks might just lose some weight.

and at the very least, fat folks will be bearing the greater burden for their poor choices...which is the way it should be.

its called personal responsibility.

Originally Posted by Thunder

money talks, and if being overweight means an extra $100 per month in premiums, some folks might just lose some weight.

and at the very least, fat folks will be bearing the greater burden for their poor choices...which is the way it should be.

its called personal responsibility.

What happens if the person has a medical problem, like diabetes insipidus?