Obesity–a U.S. Public Health Hazard

Obesity is a dangerous medical condition which, left unchecked, may result in a variety of life-threatening chronic conditions, blindness, and amputation. 

So why is this disease so prevalent among U.S. adults and children?  Why should it be important to us, as public health educators, planners and evaluators?  What are the causes of the condition, and what can we as public health professionals do to impact the rising tide of obesity in our communities?  Our Utube videos, scheduled for Week 5, provide us with the answers to some of these questions.

There are obvious causes related to the development of Obesity–  genetics, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor eating/nutrition habits.  But let’s look a little closer at these causes in ProCon.org  

If we assume that Obesity is a disease, it could become a problem that may be overcome or made less debilitating by medical processes. And as such, treatment could become fully reimbursable under most medical insurance plans.  Consider the arguments made at Procon.org.   Do you think that Obesity is the result of fat people not being able to discipline themselves to eat less and exercise more, or is Obesity a serious state of health, which is truly a chronic disease in and of itself?  If overweight and Obese people are able to tap into their pre-existing health insurance plans to pay for taking off pounds, could this have an unintended consequence?  It is likely, given this scenario, that everyone’s health insurance would increase a lot–perhaps even double or triple for everyone, even for people who stay trim, watch their diet, and exercise regularly. See https://obesity.procon.org/   for ideas and opinions about obesity in the U.S..

 

The questions you need to answer for your Discussion:

1.  Is it fair that people who are careful about their BMI status and do not fall into categories of overweight or obese be required to pay increased premiums for their insurance to cover those employees who don’t watch their weight, eat to excess, and don’t exercise?   (Health insurance operates through shared risk principles–younger, healthier people pay for those who are usually older and sicker).   List three reasons why it would be fair–and three reasons why it wouldn’t be fair.  

2. The federal government (a.k.a. Mr. Trump’s policies) is currently attempting to slash Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.  What effect is that likely to have on persons with low SES who have developed serious medical problems over time as a result of obesity and lack of exercise?   Three reasons why it would OK to slash benefits for Medicare and Medicaid–and three reasons why it wouldn’t be OK to slash benefits. 

Minimum of 50 words to answer each question.