Taxing the fat in your food
Based on this article, “More than 25% of the increase in medical costs between 1987 and 2001 is attributable to obesity and obesity-related conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, according to a new report from the non-partisan Urban Institute.”
“Come 2015, it is estimated that 40% of American adults will be obese, which is more than double the rate 40 years ago.”
So, how many % of the increase in medical cost between 1987 and 2001 is attributable to the uninsured?
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Contrary to what many seem to think, I remember American families eating more poorly in the 70s than they do today. Back then, we ate bologna and cheese sandwiches with mayo on Wonder white bread. We washed that down with a Hawaian Punch, and finished off with some M&Ms.
Though poor diets are very common in low-income areas, they’ve always been like this — I don’t think there have been any significant diet changes in that demographic.
These days, among the middle and upper-class families, many parents try to have produce with every meal, and rarely give their kids soda or the “juice products” that are mostly sugar water. I actually think we have a healthier diet today in this demographic.
I think our “obesity problem” is due to the change in lifestyle, more than a poor diet. Like Allan and I were discussing earlier, kids played outside **all the time** riding bikes, playing sports, swimming, etc. We didn’t have computers or cable TV to suck up our lives. We were allowed to **live** life instead of watch someone else’s life on TV. As a general rule, it seems most of my friends were allowed to watch a maximum of one hour per day, many of us were restricted to less.
As many people who have kids know, if we don’t sign our kids up for “organized” activities, kids don’t get nearly the same level of physical activity these days.
BTW, all of this applies to us adults, too. How many of us watch TV or use computers more than our parents ever did? (raises hand)
