Health care costs are not a new topic. For decades the idea of re-hauling an escalating out-of-control system has been attempted without success. Why can’t they fix it? Because too much money is involved. And your poor health fuels this for-profit health care. Even if you are healthy due to luck & good practices, you still contribute by paying for insurance whether you use it or not. One example, contrary to what most health experts mention, is my contention that obesity is not costing society more in the long-run. The concept that the higher rate of overall medical costs for obesity (cardiovascular diseases, higher blood pressure, diabetes, early death, etc.) is an economic burden to society is a fallacy. Sure, there is less productivity and maybe some extra costs to businesses, but obesity is actually good for the economy, and that is exactly why it is on the rise. Consider all that is involved throughout a lifetime of obesity: besides eating more food more often, heavy weights are harder on and go through more shoes & clothes, need extra material for garments, require special stores or sections for larger garments, go through & are harder on furniture, beds, couches and make vehicles work harder, wear out faster and use more gas. There is also the multi-billion dollar weight loss & fitness industry that keeps offering band-aid short-term ideas that work at first, but cannot be kept up over longer periods. Keep also in mind that with medical advances and prescriptions, we can make people live longer, even when afflicted with poor health & disease. Obesity generates a great deal of added profits, and those who have been in power realize this. The lobbyists & special interests for many industries know that their profits must continue to be maximized, and this is why obesity is not only growing, but starting at an earlier age.

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