Uncle Sam Wants You Fat
"Backed by its powerful food industry, the United States called on
Tuesday for more study of the U.N. agency's plan, which urges cutting
the intake of sugar, salt and artery-clogging trans-fatty acids and
suggests governments promote healthier eating through subsidies and
the tax system."
Oh, the "powerful food industry" wants you fat. And I bet you the
"powerful health care industry" and a few other industries as well.
Maybe even Uncle Sam wants you fat... ;)
My proposal:
"Junk food should have a warning label (just like cigarettes),
particularly the one destined to children, and also be taxed to
subsidize healthy alternatives."
Study: U.S. Spent $75 Billion to Treat Obesity in '03
By Paul Simao
ATLANTA (Reuters) - The cost of treating health problems caused by the
U.S. obesity epidemic reached an estimated $75 billion last year, with
taxpayers picking up about half the tab, according to a study released
on Tuesday.
That conclusion, which is described by the study's lead author as
"conservative," would mean that Americans spend almost as much on
obesity-related health care services as they do to treat the illnesses
caused by cigarette smoking.
Obesity, which increases the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes,
some types of cancer and arthritis, has become twice as common in the
nation since 1980. About 39 million Americans were obese in 2000,
according to the U.S. government.
"The $75 billion number is about 5.7 percent of annual health care
expenditures. Estimates for smoking are about 6 or 7 percent," said
Eric Finkelstein, the study's lead author and an economist with North
Carolina think tank RTI International.
The study, which will be published in this month's issue of Obesity
Research, were based on a statistical analysis of government data
collected for the 1998 to 2000 period. Researchers used the data to
project obesity spending in 2003 dollars.
Their analysis found that government-funded Medicare and Medicaid
programs, which help millions of seniors and poor residents get access
to health care, paid out an estimated $39 billion for obesity-related
medical costs in 2003.
The study was made public on the same day that the United States
succeeded in stalling a global obesity-control plan promoted by the
World Health Organization (news - web sites).
Backed by its powerful food industry, the United States called on
Tuesday for more study of the U.N. agency's plan, which urges cutting
the intake of sugar, salt and artery-clogging trans-fatty acids and
suggests governments promote healthier eating through subsidies and
the tax system.
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