Obesity epidemic threatens to bankrupt the nation

WASHINGTON | June 6, 2012

The obesity epidemic in the U.S. will eventually bankrupt the nation if left unchecked, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, which held a webcast Tuesday to outline its recommendations for curbing the crisis.

 

In its report, “Lots to Lose: How America’s Health and Obesity Crisis Threatens our Economic Future,” the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, co-chaired by former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Ann Veneman and former U.S. Secretaries of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and Mike Leavitt, calls on the public and private sectors to collaborate in creating healthy families, schools, workplaces and communities.

The report’s goal is to draw attention to the role obesity plays in the nation’s mounting healthcare spending, which is expected to reach $4.6 trillion dollars annually and consume 19.8 percent of the GDP by 2020, said Glickman.

“We Americans are a very overweight and unhealthy nation and as a nation we spend $2.6 trillion on healthcare (annually). Those costs are the primary driver of our nations’ debt,” said Glickman, adding that the current level of healthcare spending will “bankrupt our country.”

In addition to the high cost of healthcare, other issues the nation will face as the obesity epidemic worsens include lost workforce productivity and the armed forces’ inability to recruit and retain qualified military personnel, said Glickman.

The Bipartisan Policy Center is calling on legislators on both sides of the political aisle to get involved in the fight against obesity, he said. 

“Some issues are just too important to be partisan and this is clearly one of those issues. We must all take action to beat this threat,” said Glickman. “This is an issue that has cried out for simple solutions in every respect. It’s complicated, but it’s not so complicated that we can’t find ways to deal with it.”

“(This) report focuses on practical steps we can take in the real world,” he added.

Among the report’s recommendations are:

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Tim Richardson say: Obesity

June 12, 2012 | 08:14 AM GMT

In response to Jim Craig, there actually is difficulty getting good food - imagine that an apple delivers 100 calories and cost $1 but a Big Mac delivers 1,500 calories and also costs $1 - what is the short-run, rational choice?

Also, many urban areas are "food deserts" because of the absence of supermarkets with grocery and vegetable aisles. Instead, many inner-city residents have an abundance of convenience stores with high-fat, high-sugar foods and alcoholic beverages.

But, I agree with Jim fundamentally. This isn't a problem for the government. They probably will mess it up.

These obesity "costs" are also a "price" at which some entrepreneurs should be willing to supply services to improve food choices, control impulse behavior and reduce obesity.

The problem is that, when the government is involved, their size and fiat authority tend to crowd out the entrepreneur.

Tim Richardson, PT
www.PhysicalTherapyDiagnosis.com

Jim Craig say: The Federal Government needs to control our diets?

June 06, 2012 | 13:55 PM GMT

Not a single mention in this article that the desire of an individual human being to have his life not suck should be sufficient incentive to not get morbidly fat. Instead this purportedly, but clearly not, bipartisan group recommends that just about every entity except for the individual, needs to control the individual; the federal government, large corporations, public schools, food retailers, etc..

There is no shortage of free information available about how to maintain good health. There is no shortage of available healthy food to eat, which actually costs less than eating badly. There is no cost to exercise every day. What we need from the government, especially the federal government, is to STAND DOWN! Get the hell out of everyones' lives. Let everyone bare the costs and benefits of their own decisions themselves.