[Serb5150]

Fat people don't have a lobby which is pushing for extra medical care for the overweight.

Actually, they do:
www.obesity.org

"The AOA has initiated a liaison with the American Association of Health Plans, the trade association for the managed care industry, to promote greater coverage of obesity treatment. The AOA continues to actively lobby Congress and the Executive Branch to include obesity treatment in the Medicare drug benefit proposals."

I have a problem with this. I don't like paying for the medical treatment of other people when they are suffering from a preventable condition. It frustrates me, and yes - politicians frustrate me as well.

[tacticalogic]

I have a problem with this. I don't like paying for the medical treatment of other people when they are suffering from a preventable condition. It frustrates me, and yes - politicians frustrate me as well.

You'll find the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation behind this. They work closely with the beltway bureaucracies, and have their hooks deep into the system.

[monday]

"Actually, they do:"

ack.. I had no idea. I guess fat people deserve what they get then. If people are going to ask for government benefits they no longer have the right to freedom. They become government slaves and I guess they will have to give up their Big macs. Fatties who demand Medicaid treatments for obesity should be locked up and given 300 calories a day until they are thin again. Repeat as necessary.

Sorry, I doubted you. You are right, at least as far as the fatties at obesity.org are concerned. Normally I believe the government should stay out of peoples lives, but not if the people in question are demanding government handouts.

[rolling_stone]

I have a problem with this. I don't like paying for the medical treatment of other people when they are suffering from a preventable condition. It frustrates me, and yes - politicians frustrate me as well.

I agree its bad enough to pay for those that need it but those that bring problems on themselves should pay their own way. I wonder if their are any statistics showing amount of Social Security,SSI disability etc paid to the overweight. ie Does the obesity cause them to die earlier and collect less benefits or cause them to become disabled and collect more benefits?.....