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#1095617 - 10/29/09 04:20 AM
63 percent of Upstate New York adults are overweig
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WilllOWisp
Senior Member
Registered: 03/10/05
Posts: 3174
Loc: Seneca County
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Link to web page
Syracuse, N.Y. — The percentage of Upstate New York adults who are overweight or obese increased from 54.8 percent in 2003 to 63 percent in 2007, according to a report issued today by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.
The insurer said excess annual medical costs related to obesity are estimated at $1.5 billion.
About 2.4 million Upstate adults are in the overweight and obese weight categories, according to the report.
In Central New York, 35.7 percent of adults are overweight and 26.2 percent are obese, the report said.
People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for numerous serious medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and arthritis, according to the report.
---end of story
I say, there are many "risky" behaviors we American do. Let's not forget the many Americans who play sports. I would like to see how many sports injuries, many of which disable the players for life need constant health care, but we don't hear from that statistic that they will have to pay more in health insurance premiums.
If the democrats wants to control our health care. how about people who drive cars? Let's see the many statistics on how many accidents happen each year to increase spending on their helath care related injuries and end of life costs. Oh how about the many livers that are damaged by prescription drugs and alcohol. Oh and we don't mind charging those evil smokers extra in health care premiums. Nooooo.
How about the many joggers who injure their feet and knees or get abducted, raped, or stabbed while out on the roads alone jogging their little hearts out. Need I go on?
Why not? How about people who don't get proper dental care, and get illnesses from dental disease? How about the many health related illnesses from environmental poisons. We live not far from the biggest garbage dump in central NY. What's in store for US? Here's another. If you are of breeding age, should we have our children pay more for health care if they might get pregnant? Many get cesarians that wind up causing back pain, for life. How about sex related diseases? Shouldn't they pay more for treating Herpes a life long illness that spreads? We should even charge them for possibly getting AIDS for heaven's sake! Just being young can cause a whole host of chronic diseases they can get. Even some people get Fibromyalgia from flu vaccines.
Don't' forget charging old people more, because they use the most health related services in the twilight years. Oh I forgot, the government will cut their services to keep those costs down.
Not all fat people get diabetes or heart problems. My Grandmother was overweight all her life and lived to be 92 and no diabetes even in old age! My Mother smokes and is wheelchair bound, she doen't have heart disease or lung cancer. She is overwight, too! Just had her 79th birthday. Not all smokers get lung cancer. not all joggers get injured or sports players chronic knee and head problems, et cetera.
My point is this. If you let the government run our health care or even if the public option doesn't get passed and the insurance companies see dollar signs for your "risky " behavior, where will it end to punish people for just existing? Your next.
Maybe we should charge people extra who live in heavy smog cities, like Newark NJ, NYC or LA. They have a higher increase of lung issues and crimes bestowed upon them. Not to mention a higher risk of terrorists attack. Should we have to pay extra for living in a city?
Probably even things we don't hear about happen to see the doctor for life.
Water supplies are now getting contaminated with prescription drugs like birth control pills that don't break down in treatment plants. Even some work environments make your life risky. So don't just stop at fat people, oh no, DON'T stop there.
Sorry for the long read. I just wanted to make my point. I'm sure I left out many risky behaviors like bungie jumping, rock climbing and parachuting. How about the injuries from flying? I better stop.
_________________________
A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake at the moment~Willis Player
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#1095939 - 10/29/09 02:25 PM
Re: 63 percent of Upstate New York adults are overweig
[Re: Zealot]
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WilllOWisp
Senior Member
Registered: 03/10/05
Posts: 3174
Loc: Seneca County
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the current health care reform package proposed by Congress specifically prevents insurance companies from charging a person higher premiums if they are less healthy.
Freedom is about living your life the way that you wish, including risky behaviors and lifestyles, but it doesn't mean you should not be responsible for your choices. There are consequences for each and every choice that you make and if you are not able to accept those consequences then you are not making the right choice. That is what this generation is sadly lacking - consequences. Every action has a reaction - basic physics 101.
_________________________
A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake at the moment~Willis Player
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#1095957 - 10/29/09 02:57 PM
Re: 63 percent of Upstate New York adults are overweig
[Re: Zealot]
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VM Smith
Gold Member
Registered: 11/28/05
Posts: 18685
Loc: seneca falls
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In reality, and as has been known for years, people with healthy habits cause more health care costs, in the long run, due to living longer. If the insurance companies denied coverage to those people, they'd save money. Alternately, smokers and fat people should get a discount on rates:
Pieter H. M. van Baal1*, Johan J. Polder2,3, G. Ardine de Wit1, Rudolf T. Hoogenveen1, Talitha L. Feenstra1, Hendriek C. Boshuizen1, Peter M. Engelfriet1, Werner B. F. Brouwer4
1 National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Centre for Prevention and Health Services Research, Bilthoven, The Netherlands, 2 National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Centre for Public Health Forecasting, Bilthoven, The Netherlands, 3 Tilburg University, Department Tranzo, Tilburg, The Netherlands, 4 Erasmus University, Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract Top
Background
Obesity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and is associated with high medical expenditures. It has been suggested that obesity prevention could result in cost savings. The objective of this study was to estimate the annual and lifetime medical costs attributable to obesity, to compare those to similar costs attributable to smoking, and to discuss the implications for prevention.
Methods and Findings
With a simulation model, lifetime health-care costs were estimated for a cohort of obese people aged 20 y at baseline. To assess the impact of obesity, comparisons were made with similar cohorts of smokers and “healthy-living” persons (defined as nonsmokers with a body mass index between 18.5 and 25). Except for relative risk values, all input parameters of the simulation model were based on data from The Netherlands. In sensitivity analyses the effects of epidemiologic parameters and cost definitions were assessed. Until age 56 y, annual health expenditure was highest for obese people. At older ages, smokers incurred higher costs. Because of differences in life expectancy, however, lifetime health expenditure was highest among healthy-living people and lowest for smokers. Obese individuals held an intermediate position. Alternative values of epidemiologic parameters and cost definitions did not alter these conclusions.
Conclusions
Although effective obesity prevention leads to a decrease in costs of obesity-related diseases, this decrease is offset by cost increases due to diseases unrelated to obesity in life-years gained. Obesity prevention may be an important and cost-effective way of improving public health, but it is not a cure for increasing health expenditures.
_________________________
Liars when they speak the truth are not believed.
Aristotle
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#1095986 - 10/29/09 03:41 PM
Re: 63 percent of Upstate New York adults are overweig
[Re: WilllOWisp]
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VM Smith
Gold Member
Registered: 11/28/05
Posts: 18685
Loc: seneca falls
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Maybe, just maybe, enough people are starting to see it:
Low Flu Vaccination Rate Reveals Massive Repudiation of American Government
by Bill Sardi
Recently by Bill Sardi: What's Behind the False Flag Flu Emergency?
The American government may have left itself exposed to revealing just how strongly the public opposes its flu vaccination campaign. For the first time Americans can count how many of its citizens opted for or against flu vaccination, and the numbers are appalling.
After months of drum-beating, that the so-called late-2009 season H1N1 "swine flu" could develop into a more severe pandemic with greater loss of life as the winter flu season approached, Americans have not bought into government-generated flu hysteria.
Americans are hearing just 22.4 million doses of flu vaccine are available, which is posed as a vast shortage. But news sources indicate only about 11 million Americans have been vaccinated to date, an underwhelming public response to the government's massive crusade to vaccinate up to 70–80% of the population (210–240 million Americans). That goal has been trimmed to 159 million, about half the population, and production delays mean millions of Americans would have to wait till the flu season is almost over to undergo inoculation next spring. Why get vaccinated at all?
What prompted the national emergency?
Did such strong opposition to flu vaccination prompt the President to announce a contrived national emergency, which really had nothing to do with public health or saving lives, but rather whether hospitals were going to be able to collect Medicare and Medicaid payments for flu-related illness.
Will government silence opposition to vaccination?
This flu season Americans are tapping into the internet to read and listen to alternate sources of information about the flu. Sources like the National Vaccine Information Center captained by Barbara Loe Fisher, Infowars.com by Alex Jones, and Radio Liberty by Dr. Stan Monteith, have led the charge.
Then health writers Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer unleashed a scathing online article against flu vaccination in the November issue of Atlantic Magazine, a blow that could have pushed government to announce that it may shut down parts of the internet should a flu pandemic cause Americans to flood the internet
Suddenly the General Accountability Office produces a report which warns that a severe pandemic could result in massive absentee rates at work and school, which in turn, could overload the internet with Americans who decide to spend their sick time at home on the internet. Bandwidth could be limited and the internet could crash, the report alleges. But this could be a veiled attempt to shut down opposition to government's flu vaccination program.
Hurry up, limited supply
The news media appears to be conducting a "cabbage patch doll" strategy where word of a limited supply of vaccine is being used to create a rush for the available remaining vaccine. Even that strategy doesn’t seem to be working.
Writer Maggie Fox for Reuters says "The US government may end up throwing away unused doses of swine flu vaccine if people cannot get it soon." But even with supply, public demand appears to be waning, if it ever existed at all.
Surveys show masses of Americans are wary of the vaccine, particularly the mercury (thimerosal) used as a preservative. This prompted Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to say more single-dose vaccine, which contains less mercury, would be ordered. Even then, the FDA said it would eliminate mercury from vaccines altogether. It’s still in there.
This suggests the vaccine is being made as public demand is being gauged. There may be no real shortage, just reluctance to produce billions of dollars of flu vaccine which the public doesn’t want. A delay in the delivery of vaccines could also result in greater flu deaths in what becomes a way to panic the public into vaccination.
In past flu seasons the government and vaccine makers lost money when vaccination rates were low and unused vaccine had to be discarded. About 120 million doses were anticipated by mid-October, but only about 40 million are anticipated for delivery.
Propaganda machine
The news media is going all out to unravel its propaganda machine in support of the government's flu agenda, but this time the public isn't falling for the ruse as they have in past flu seasons when the vaccine didn't even match the flu strain in circulation and single doses couldn't even produce sufficient levels of antibodies for many people, particularly those in high-risk groups.
Writer Rebecca Ruiz of Forbes.com fudged her numbers, quoting 3000 flu-related deaths and 29,000 hospitalizations, rather than the prior figures used when the President declared a national emergency (1000 deaths and 20,000 hospitalizations over an 8-month period). Ruiz and Forbes.com claim this is "America’s worst pandemic since the 1918 flu." But that is also a falsehood.
In fact, the worst flu outbreak since 1918 occurred in 1993 and isn’t even recorded on government timelines of flu outbreaks over the past nine decades. The 1993 flu catastrophe, which set back the life expectancy of Americans for the first time since 1918, was reported by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports to have primarily stricken elderly nursing home patients late that year. This was the first year Medicare paid for flu shots for nursing home patients. It is obvious something very lethal was in that year’s flu shot that led to the premature demise of thousands of senior Americans.
Writer Claudia Kalb at Newsweek.com attempted to overcome what she called "flu falsehoods," without a word that most of the misdirection and misinformation is coming from government. Kalb writes: "How do you get the facts out and combat massive misinformation on the web?"
In conjunction with news media, the federal government has unleashed a huge propaganda campaign on behalf of the vaccine makers. Newsweek reports:
"Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the White House and other government agencies, have gone viral with online seminars (or "Webinars"), text messages, podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. The CDC has partnered with WebMD on a flu blog written in part by a CDC medical epidemiologist. Since April, the CDC has signed up 30,000 fans and friends on Facebook and 1 million followers on Twitter, and it has sent out 244,000 flu updates to H1N1 e-mail subscribers.
HHS used Elmo for a PSA that teaches kids to sneeze into their elbows, and it funded a special episode of Sid the Science Kid, a PBS show for preschoolers, that debuted this week. The plot features Sid and his preschool buddies dancing and singing and getting their flu shots. Lyrics: "It might hurt a little, but it's going to help a whole lot!"
But these poorly timed efforts to promote vaccination were urging Americans to hurry up with no place to go. News media continue to create the false impression that millions of Americans are waiting in line for flu shots. Nothing is further from the truth.
Not everybody agrees
A fearful and ignorant public is what news media portray. So it is particularly irksome to health authorities when pediatricians in Collier County, Florida sign a letter refusing to promote swine flu because it is "unsafe." A spokesman for the group of doctors said: "This has been a more of a media marketing blitz than I think it's a real medical catastrophe."
Nor does it help sell vaccine when the Associated Press writes that 7 of 10 voters in Michigan are unsure about or opposed to flu vaccination.
Public distrust
Public distrust of government is growing. Just how many Americans object to the war in the Middle East and its falsehoods ("mission accomplished" and "weapons of mass destruction"), or oppose draconian changes for the funding of American healthcare, or dislike financial bailout programs for reckless American bankers, is largely unknown. If opposition to flu vaccination is any barometer, the vast majority of Americans are unwilling participants in many of the federal government’s escapades. Rejection of the flu vaccination program gives politicians a look at what they may face in the next election. It’s a massive repudiation of American government, and politicians had better take note.
Neil Barofsky, special inspector for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) where hundreds of billions of dollars have been used to bail out bankers, says the bigger cost of all this is public distrust. The public, disenchanted and with no perceivable difference between both political parties, may put up unprecedented opposition to any future government agendas, whatever they may be. Many Americans have not fallen for false assurances that flu shots are safe or effective this year as they have in the past. The American public has begun to push back, even if in a passive way to avoid government flu jabs.
October 29, 2009
_________________________
Liars when they speak the truth are not believed.
Aristotle
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#1096002 - 10/29/09 04:10 PM
Re: 63 percent of Upstate New York adults are overweig
[Re: VM Smith]
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WilllOWisp
Senior Member
Registered: 03/10/05
Posts: 3174
Loc: Seneca County
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Check this out: Paterson Declares State of Emergency over Swine Flu ALBANY, N.Y. (AP/1010 WINS) -- Gov. David Paterson declared a state of emergency, saying a recent rise in swine flu cases has created a "disaster'' and that certain provisions of state law needed to be set aside to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Web Extra: Swine Flu Resource Center
The executive order Thursday means that far more health care professionals -- including dentists, dental hygienists, podiatrists, pharmacists, midwives and physicians assistants -- will be permitted to administer swine flu and seasonal flu vaccines with only brief training.
The declaration will help avoid overwhelming hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities with swine flu cases, according to Paterson's order.
It also allows health centers in schools, which have been particularly hard hit, to vaccinate children and adults.
A week ago, the small Worcester Central School District in Otsego County, about 50 miles west of Albany, was the first district in the state to close because of flu. Although only two students had confirmed cases of the swine flu, a third of the enrollment and staff were out with flu symptoms. Most weren't tested for the H1N1 virus.
The federal government has urged schools to cancel classes only as a last resort, but school officials across the country say they are being hit so hard and so fast by swine flu that they feel shutting down for a few days is the only option.
At least 351 schools were closed last week alone -- affecting 126,000 students in 19 states, according to the U.S. Education Department. So far this school year, about 600 schools have temporarily shut their doors.
The number of closings this fall appears on target to surpass the roughly 700 schools closed last spring when the swine flu outbreak first hit.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that for the week of October 11-17, the latest available, influenza activity continued to increase. It said the number of doctor visits with flulike illnesses are much higher than usual, hospitalizations for laboratory-confirmed flu is much higher than expected for this time of year and ``almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far are 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses.''
Also on Thursday, New York officials said the number of vaccine doses is being increased. The federal government is ramping up availability of the vaccine to the state, allowing it to order twice as many doses as a week ago, a trend that's expected to continue.
The executive order obtained by The Associated Press says at least 75 deaths in the state have been attributed to the swine flu.
``A disaster has occurred throughout New York state, for which the affected local governments are unable to respond adequately,'' Paterson states in the order.
There was no immediate comment from Paterson on the order, which was dated Wednesday.
The order doesn't require vaccinations of health care workers or other adults without their consent and it doesn't require vaccinations of children without parental consent.
The order states that the World Health Organization has declared the swine flu a pandemic and President Barack Obama has declared a national emergency. Obama's declaration is a precaution so if hospitals are overwhelmed, patients can be taken to other health care sites.
CDC journal: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/
_________________________
A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake at the moment~Willis Player
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#1096093 - 10/29/09 06:28 PM
Re: 63 percent of Upstate New York adults are overweig
[Re: Al Kida]
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Zorn
Senior Member
Registered: 09/06/06
Posts: 670
Loc: ny
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All of the politicians are in this conspiracy together to make drug companies more money?
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