By now many are used to the ongoing manipulation of facts perpetrated within the health care debate, but as the President attempts to regain control of his own message his claims and statistical manipulation have crossed beyond the borders of absurd. In a conference call for his campaign organization, Organizing for American (formerly the Organizing for Obama), the president backed up his claims of how he intends to fulfill the promise of cost savings within Medicare without cutting benefits. The President's solution is simply to put America on a weight loss plan. According to the President, "If we went back to the obesity rates that existed back in the 1980s, the Medicare system over several years could save as much as a trillion dollars."
The problem with President - Err - Dr. Obama's assessment is that is A) it simply isn't true and B) how exactly is the US going to return to 1980's obesity rates.
As Politifact, Factcheck.org, The Centers for Disease Control and others have pointed out the Presidents claim, also made in 2007, based on a left-wing think tank study has no statistical data to back it up. The reality is that is obesity rates have doubled over the past three decades, but the CDC and RTI estimate that obesity contributes to an additional burden of $90 billion per year on our nations health care system, of which Medicare's portion would be roughly $20-$30 billion dollars. If we were to return to 1980's obesity rates that would give the system roughly $12-$15 billion a year in savings. Thus, the only way President Obama's assessment is true is if he were referring to realizing those savings over a 67-83 year period. In other words...if these are the statistics and data that the President is using as the basis for his health care proposals, we should all be very scared.
Equally as disturbing is that the remarks of the President allude to belief that his Health Care Reform will somehow change the epidemic of obesity within our society, that somehow our current Health Care system is has failed. Yet, the reality is that Health Insurers, Health Care Providers, non-profit organizations and the government have invested tens of billions of dollars over the past decades, utilizing every form of communication possible to educate the public on the health problems created by obesity. Despite billions in educational investments, obesity rates have continued to climb; perhaps because obesity is the bi-product of a wealthy and free society, rather than a failure of our current health care system.
So the question becomes, why does the President, a man who has failed to quit smoking, believe that his Health Care Reform legislation can somehow lead to a reduction in obesity? What is frightening is the realization is that there is only two ways that the government can assure a reduction in obesity rates. First, the government can mandate greater premiums or cost sharing based upon the unhealthy nutritional habits of the American people; or more than likely the government would implement a "sin tax" such as many states have, that taxes food deemed to be unhealthy. As a result, we are left with a government that either mandates what food we consume or arbitrarily taxes "junk food" out of existence utilizing mundane and ridiculous definitions as recently experienced in Illinois. Regardless of which method is used, the American people forfeit a little more liberty and move a little more towards a big brother society whereas a few determine what is good for the masses.
The reality is that the Dr. Obama's belief that the government could reduce obesity rates any more effectively than past efforts have, overlooks the fact that if I wake up in the morning and decide to eat a Hostess Cup Cake for breakfast I am going to eat it without regard to its nutritional benefit. Americans enjoy fewer liberties today than at any point in the history of this nation and when politicians begin making benign promises based upon inaccurate statistics, then it does not bode well for our remaining freedoms. If you extrapolate on the President's comments, then it is pretty safe to assume that like alcohol and tobacco, food will become the next target of regulation and excess taxation.
Comments
When Michele Obama said "Barack will never let you return to your life as you know it today" I don't think anyone had any idea that those who chose to vote for him were voting for someone who would rule (or try to) their every waking moment.
The idea of reducing obesity to reduce expenses is akin to inflating tires to increase mileage, only much more difficult and predictably with the same results.... nothing accomplished.
Instead of sin taxes, how about reducing the subsidies given to the giant Ag industries that produce all of the processed food that makes us fat and spread some of those gov't dollars around to food producers who grow and sell real food. You know, meat & potatoes instead of frozen waffles and Slurpees.
But, that probably won't happen.
More likely, the American people will soon be paying $5 for a can of Coke
As a Registered Dietitian, working in the trenches, I do not believe that any government program will influence the obesity rates today. We are a society that does not value being healthy and despite having all the necessary tools, we fail to make important lifestyle changes. Taxing "junk" food will not reduce obesity rates and will only serve to provide the government with more control over our individual lives. The truth is this: there are no "good" or "bad" foods, all foods can be enjoyed in moderation in the context of an overall healthy lifestyle. In my book, "How To Eat Fried Chicken and Be Thin Too" I address the 4 most important components to an overall healthy lifestyle: nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep. For more information, the book can be found on Amazon or at strategicbookpublishing.com
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