5 ms·
"Obesity costs the US healthcare system almost $173 billion a year." So that's about 6% of the difference? I'm not immediately saying no, but it sounds like t
by Dylan16807 8mo ago
"Obesity costs the US healthcare system almost $173 billion a year."
So that's about 6% of the difference? I'm not immediately saying no, but it sounds like that's not the real problem.
- nradov 8mo agoThat 6% number isn't even close to accurate. There are many other very expensive chronic conditions that are downstream of obesity including type-2 diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, MSK injuries, etc. We are digging our graves with our teeth.
- epicureanideal 8mo agoAlthough I tend to think we overwork the working class such that they have no energy to keep up their health, so this would basically be taxing them because they're poor in many cases.
- AngryData 8mo agoExcept all those things reduce peoples lifespan, and age-related care is by far the most expensive medical care.
- conductr 8mo agoSocial reasons it would never work. I hate to mention anything race related online but simple truth is America has complicated history and African Americans are 30% more likely to be obese than White Americans and also earn approximately 60% of income that whites earn. A fat tax, especially one that properly allocated the cost burden to the individual, would erode race relations.
- wonnage 8mo agofwiw the “tax” in Japan is not paid by the individual, and generally taxing the behavior via e.g sugar taxes rather than the outcome has worked better without much public outcry after the fact
- conductr 8mo agoNot sure that would play the same in US though. Black population in the US is still concentrated in neighborhoods formed by overt racism and segregation and same neighborhoods tend to be food desert where no healthy or even fresh options exists. Even if we taxed just the bad food, the lack of options and mobility that higher income might provide, basically means it’s something that would be seen as targeted. Not to mention, people will draw the most racist perception no matter how carefully you crafted the tax because race relations are always unfortunately weak and these correlations are being forced/drawn.
- sethammons 8mo agoIs that controlled for income / poverty levels?
- bluGill 8mo agoIt doesn't matter as the cited numbers will be cherry picked.
- jimt1234 8mo agoFat shaming! ... It makes me sad whenever I hear that response to any mention of the health problems associated to obesity.
- dyauspitr 8mo agoIt’s what all of Asia does and it’s very effective. Make people’s weight their primary problem until they resolve it. It’s not like it is some unchangeable attribute that can’t be fixed through self control and discipline. The shaming is just unsolicited motivation that works. I feel sad if people are made fun of for attributes they can’t change.
- sneak 8mo agoIf everyone could control their weight via simply willing themselves to have more self-control, then nobody would be fat. Self-control is, ironically, not usually within one’s self control. Most people don’t contemplate very deeply about the gap between their will and their behavior. I’m extremely focused on self-determination and it’s absolutely astounding (and irritating) to me how little control I have over my actions relative to the control that circumstances have over me. Your attitude about the matter is common, and seems like plain old common sense. It’s also dead wrong.