Obesity is an illness, says government

It's a mental illness.

--
Most people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. -- MFW


"Ignoramus22273" wrote in message
...
Medicare Scraps Old Policy on Obesity

Thu Jul 15,11:15 PM ET
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By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Medicare is discarding its policy that obesity is not a
disease, potentially throwing open the door for millions of overweight
Americans to make medical claims for treatments such as stomach
surgery and diet programs.



"Obesity is a critical public health problem in our country that
causes millions of Americans to suffer unnecessary health problems and
to die prematurely," Health and Human Services (news - web sites)
Secretary Tommy Thompson told a Senate panel Thursday. Treating
obesity-related illnesses results in billions of dollars in health
care costs, he said.

"With this new policy, Medicare will be able to review scientific
evidence in order to determine which interventions improve health
outcomes for seniors and disabled Americans who are obese," Thompson
said.

With the removal of language in Medicare policy that said obesity is
not an illness, beneficiaries will be able to request a government
review of medical evidence to determine whether certain treatments for
obesity can be covered.

Though Medicare and Medicaid programs cover sicknesses caused by
obesity ? including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several
types of cancer and gallbladder disease ? the previous policy meant
that weight-loss therapies have often been denied coverage.

"The medical science will now determine whether we provide coverage
for the treatments that reduce complications and improve quality of
life for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries who are obese," said
Mark McClellan, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, which oversees health insurance programs for the
elderly, disabled and poor.

Some detractors of the change said it is based on unsound science.

"We have a tremendously exaggerated fear of higher than average weight
in this culture," said University of Colorado law professor Paul
Campos, author of "The Obesity Myth."

"What's partly baseless is this notion that the government needs to
intervene to make Americans thinner," Campos said.

HHS said the policy change is not expected to immediately alter
Medicare coverage, and no figures were provided on potential costs to
taxpayers. The Medicare agency said it may meet this fall to review
scientific evidence on various surgical procedures related to obesity.

Obesity is an illness, says government


No, surely what was said is.....

"Obesity is a critical public health problem in our country that
causes millions of Americans to suffer unnecessary health problems and
to die prematurely,"

A health problem.... Because something poses a health risk that does NOT
mean it's an illness! It may be a cause of illness..... BUT......

Obesity is an illness?

I thought "obesity" was defined by committee? Who gets to decide if someone
is obese? Ig? The government?


Ignoramus22273 wrote:
:: Medicare Scraps Old Policy on Obesity
::
:: Thu Jul 15,11:15 PM ET
:: Add White House - AP Cabinet & State to My Yahoo!
::
:: By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer
::
:: WASHINGTON - Medicare is discarding its policy that obesity is not a
:: disease, potentially throwing open the door for millions of
:: overweight Americans to make medical claims for treatments such as
:: stomach surgery and diet programs.
::
::
::
:: "Obesity is a critical public health problem in our country that
:: causes millions of Americans to suffer unnecessary health problems
:: and to die prematurely," Health and Human Services (news - web sites)
:: Secretary Tommy Thompson told a Senate panel Thursday. Treating
:: obesity-related illnesses results in billions of dollars in health
:: care costs, he said.
::
:: "With this new policy, Medicare will be able to review scientific
:: evidence in order to determine which interventions improve health
:: outcomes for seniors and disabled Americans who are obese," Thompson
:: said.
::
:: With the removal of language in Medicare policy that said obesity is
:: not an illness, beneficiaries will be able to request a government
:: review of medical evidence to determine whether certain treatments
:: for obesity can be covered.
::
:: Though Medicare and Medicaid programs cover sicknesses caused by
:: obesity ? including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several
:: types of cancer and gallbladder disease ? the previous policy meant
:: that weight-loss therapies have often been denied coverage.
::
:: "The medical science will now determine whether we provide coverage
:: for the treatments that reduce complications and improve quality of
:: life for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries who are obese," said
:: Mark McClellan, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and
:: Medicaid Services, which oversees health insurance programs for the
:: elderly, disabled and poor.
::
:: Some detractors of the change said it is based on unsound science.
::
:: "We have a tremendously exaggerated fear of higher than average
:: weight in this culture," said University of Colorado law professor
:: Paul Campos, author of "The Obesity Myth."
::
:: "What's partly baseless is this notion that the government needs to
:: intervene to make Americans thinner," Campos said.
::
:: HHS said the policy change is not expected to immediately alter
:: Medicare coverage, and no figures were provided on potential costs to
:: taxpayers. The Medicare agency said it may meet this fall to review
:: scientific evidence on various surgical procedures related to
:: obesity.

"JC Der Koenig" wrote in message
m...
It's a mental illness.

--

You should recognize your mental illness, for being here! What a sad and
lonely person you must be? What in god happened to you that gives you
pleasure in being meanspirited behind your anonymous keyboard? Get up, take
a walk, smell the air, and have a salad. Maybe you'll fall in love and come
to your senses?

--
JK Sinrod
Sinrod Stained Glass Studios
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

"JC Der Koenig" wrote in message
m...
It's a mental illness.

--

You should recognize your mental illness, for being here! What a sad and
lonely person you must be? What in god happened to you that gives you
pleasure in being meanspirited behind your anonymous keyboard? Get up, take
a walk, smell the air, and have a salad. Maybe you'll fall in love and come
to your senses?

--
JK Sinrod
Sinrod Stained Glass Studios
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

Ignoramus22273 wrote:

Re-read the article again:

`` Medicare is discarding its policy that obesity is not a disease''

So, it means that now medicare considers obesity to be a disease.

This happend about two years ago at the IRS level: they decided last
summer or the summer before (I forget) that the treatment of obesity as
a PRIMARY disease was something you could deduct from your medical
reimbursement plan (a Section 125 cafeteria plan) as long as you were
diagnosed by a physician as being obese. You can also deduct treatment
of obesity on Schedule A, not that that does much good for most people.

Treatment is specified to EXCLUDE diet foods and exercise clubs. In
other words, the IRS allows you to deduct any treatment for obesity
EXCEPT eating less and exercising more. (Which effectively leaves out
the most effective methods.)

Seriously, I spoke with the IRS author of the statute. They are
required by Congress NOT to include clubs that are organized as
membership groups, which includes nearly every gym in America. The only
time exercise is deductible is when it is part of a doctor-prescribed
rehab type of situation AND is performed in a non-membership setting,
i.e., a physical therapist's office. The reason for this is that they
wanted to exclude the rich from being able to deduct their country club
or yacht club memberships, and they're organized the same way as a
Gold's Gym, etc.

And of course food and food supplements are not deductible - never were.
Everyone has to eat and the taxpaying public isn't going to give you a
break if you decide you simply must have free-range salmon instead of
cheaper hamburger.

This reminds me of the way food stamps could be used to buy formula, so
all the poor women decided to bottle feed because they'd get it paid for
instead of breast-feeding (for which they were not paid.)

It sounds like this is going to result in a ton of people (literally)
asking for bariatric surgery (because that's what they can get covered)
when a more sane solution is within their grasp but they don't get paid
for it.

Dally

Ignoramus22273 wrote:

Re-read the article again:

`` Medicare is discarding its policy that obesity is not a disease''

So, it means that now medicare considers obesity to be a disease.

This happend about two years ago at the IRS level: they decided last
summer or the summer before (I forget) that the treatment of obesity as
a PRIMARY disease was something you could deduct from your medical
reimbursement plan (a Section 125 cafeteria plan) as long as you were
diagnosed by a physician as being obese. You can also deduct treatment
of obesity on Schedule A, not that that does much good for most people.

Treatment is specified to EXCLUDE diet foods and exercise clubs. In
other words, the IRS allows you to deduct any treatment for obesity
EXCEPT eating less and exercising more. (Which effectively leaves out
the most effective methods.)

Seriously, I spoke with the IRS author of the statute. They are
required by Congress NOT to include clubs that are organized as
membership groups, which includes nearly every gym in America. The only
time exercise is deductible is when it is part of a doctor-prescribed
rehab type of situation AND is performed in a non-membership setting,
i.e., a physical therapist's office. The reason for this is that they
wanted to exclude the rich from being able to deduct their country club
or yacht club memberships, and they're organized the same way as a
Gold's Gym, etc.

And of course food and food supplements are not deductible - never were.
Everyone has to eat and the taxpaying public isn't going to give you a
break if you decide you simply must have free-range salmon instead of
cheaper hamburger.

This reminds me of the way food stamps could be used to buy formula, so
all the poor women decided to bottle feed because they'd get it paid for
instead of breast-feeding (for which they were not paid.)

It sounds like this is going to result in a ton of people (literally)
asking for bariatric surgery (because that's what they can get covered)
when a more sane solution is within their grasp but they don't get paid
for it.

Dally

So everyone here is mentally ill?


(what happened to your killfile again?)

--
I wake up every morning and remember that I get to spend all day with me. It
doesn't get any better than that. -- MFW


"jk" wrote in message
t...

"JC Der Koenig" wrote in message
m...
It's a mental illness.

--

You should recognize your mental illness, for being here!

This reminds me of the way food stamps could be used to buy formula, so
all the poor women decided to bottle feed because they'd get it paid for
instead of breast-feeding (for which they were not paid.)

Food stamp allotments have nothing to do w/ formula feeding or breast feeding.
This statement is 100% completely false.
~Kat


"The early bird gets the worm, the second mouse gets the cheese."

This reminds me of the way food stamps could be used to buy formula, so
all the poor women decided to bottle feed because they'd get it paid for
instead of breast-feeding (for which they were not paid.)

Food stamp allotments have nothing to do w/ formula feeding or breast feeding.
This statement is 100% completely false.
~Kat


"The early bird gets the worm, the second mouse gets the cheese."