One of MeMe Roth's favorite thing to bring up in "debates" is why should she pay for our "unhealthy lifestyle"? (Meanwhile I will be happy to chip in when she finally decides to see a mental health and/or eating disorders professional). The only person supporting me is myself (and my darling husband). By luck, I am a fat woman with a job that has health insurance and I PAY for it out of each pay check. And when I go to the doctor, I PAY for the co-payments.
It might be the conspiracy theorist in me. But isn't it a whole lot easier for Insurance companies (who make record profits) to make sure fatties are to blame for the US health care crisis (Where we pay more for the same services than most other countries) than it might be for them to admit that they are a primary cause of that crisis?
A citizen of the United States is supposed to have certain rights and freedoms. In theory of course, but it's perfectly okay to deny health care, clothes, airline seats, jobs to someone if they are fat as pointed out by Paul Campos and Marilyn Wann in a recent Daily News op ed.
Now New York has been pushing their "Fat Tax" more than ever (At least they are calling it a soda tax now). And this tax is not to benefit NY's horrendous budget issues (I live in NYC, where school children are about to lose their free metro cards, where three hospitals have closed just in my borough and this summer several state parks will close) So for a penny per 8 oz of soda you too can fund the corrupt New York State government. (Where two governors and several state senators are or have been under investigation.) I prefer that I don't have to pay the whole $1 I spend on soda (Mostly on yearly xmas party and my thin nephew).
Kids don't need the food police, they don't need fat taxes, they don't need Michelle Obama or MeMe Roth, what they need is people with common sense around them. For example, my thin nephew would drink pepsi like water if we allowed him. We don't. He can have it on occasion, usually eating out or on vacation, or a celebration.
Please define "record profits".
Posted by: Sarah | March 09, 2010 at 12:38 AM
The health insurance industry last year made more record profits than did the Goldman Sachs of the world all the while raising premiums as much as 10 percent higher than the actual cost of healthcare. Of course they have to divert the outrage somewhere and fat people have always made for good scapegoats.
Posted by: Rachel | March 09, 2010 at 10:13 AM
(Meanwhile I will be happy to chip in when she finally decides to see a mental health and/or eating disorders professional).
**snerk**
I often wonder: Do the MY INSRANCE BLAAARGH people like Screaming Mememeeee know that mental health expenses count as "health care costs"? When I go to my shrink or my psychiatrist, I file a claim with my insurance company, so you'd better believe it counts. So what's the first thing people like that tell us when we say we can't stick to 1200 or 1300 or 1400 calories a day for the rest of our lives? We're sick in the head and we need "help," right? Hmmmm...
Posted by: Meowser | March 09, 2010 at 12:33 PM
Good question Sarah. Most profits are anywhere from 2 to 10% according to Fortune. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2006/industries/Health_Care_Insurance_Managed_Care/2.html
NPR also points out that insurances companies base their profits are total cost of health care cost, not what they pay. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111494182&ps=rs
Posted by: fatchicksrule | March 09, 2010 at 05:03 PM