The State of Healthcare in the US

jleask — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:42:10 GMT

Friday I saw a presentation at Rotary called "The Coming Tsunami - Health Care and Retirement Crisis". It got me thinking a great deal and I have a handful of notes that I want to discuss, things I need to research so I can talk more factually about the subject, rather than just putting thoughts down.

Then I got an email from an acquaintance of mine with the subject "Ala. To Charge Obese Workers $25 Monthly" and this got me thinking a great deal ... and yes I actually found a news article to back this email, more than one, but here's a link for you [ clicky ] thanks to News 5 Kansas City.

I'm all for things like this to a point ... as long as they are focusing on HEALTH and not WEIGHT than yah, cool. The issue being most people define obesity by number of pounds. My bone structure will NEVER fit the healthy model.

There are many different calculations out there, "Metropolitan Life", "Devine", "Robinson", "Miller", "Hamwi" ... I'm sure many more that I am missing. However they all suggest that, as a man of 6'2", I weight between 160lbs and 200lbs, approximately.

Allow me to divulge a bit of personal information to help prove my thoughts. As of my last BMI measurements I weigh 305lbs; I carry approximately 116 pounds of fat (that'd 38%, down from my previous 42%, go me!). Now, the process I use to take my BMI is guaranteed If you take my total weight (305) and subtract every pound of fat I carry (116) you get 189lbs, towards the high end of the SUGGESTED weight: that's 0% body fat.

With minimal research I am unable to find proper citations for this, however, for men it is recommended to carry between 8% and 17% body fat ... NOT 0! Taking my 0% weight (189) that's between 204lbs and 222lbs. As you can see at 8% body fat I'm still ABOVE the recommended weight for my height.

Let me take this one step further still ... at 222lbs, just 17% body fat above my estimated 0% measurement, I would be 22lbs over the suggested weight for my height. That's an EXTRA 10% body fat, which puts me at 17% body fat, which calculates me as OBESE when you only consider weight.

What I haven't mentioned, btw, is that in the past when I have applied for solo coverage health care (not part of my company, but all on my lonesome) I have been disqualified PURELY based on my height and weight - this is not a claim, it was the process that occurred.

In short, what we are seeing is a culture of people who feel like they have no choice but to be overweight because we have a capitalistic society that uses the most beneficial calculations for the success of the business owner, instead of a society that looks at the benefit for the society at a whole. Yikes, I know, it sounds kind of socialist doesn't it?

Digital Serenity : Capitalism, Rotary

The State of Healthcare in the US