Monday, July 08, 2013
"Obesity Is Not a Disease"
Governments manage money poorly, and organizations are quick to find out how to get some of it...
At National Review Online, Michael Tanner explains his point:
"Recently the American Medical Association declared that it will consider obesity a disease. At first glance, it’s a minor story, hardly worth mentioning, but in reality the AMA’s move is a symptom of a disease that is seriously troubling our society: the abdication of personal responsibility and an invitation to government meddling.
No one denies that this country faces a massive (no pun intended) obesity problem. The United States has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, with more than a third of all Americans believed to be obese and another third considered overweight. Obesity leads to a host of both long- and short-term health problems and costs Americans more than $190 billion annually in higher medical costs, and possibly as much as $450 billion in indirect costs, such as lost productivity.
But while obesity is a real problem, the AMA’s move is actually a way for its members to receive more federal dollars, by getting obesity treatments covered under government health plans."
