Should Gastric Banding Surgery Be Government (Taxpayer) Funded?

I agree. Too bad if they're fat... they brought it upon themselves. How is that the taxpayers' responsibility?

 

Because obesity is such a huge crisis, the government needs to fix it, and letting fat people go thin again without them having to work for it is the solution they seem to like.

They should tell parents to act like parents and stop making their kids fat.

 

And why is this anyone else's problem other than the person who is overweight? Why should anyone have to pay for that person's medical bills other than them? They're grown adults. We trust them to drive. We trust them to raise children. We trust them to vote who to put into office to run the country. Why shouldn't we trust them to make their own decisions about the quality of their health?

The only type of person who refuses to make the effort to gain control over their problems is someone who doesn't truly want to change. Someone who is comfortable and complacent in their lifestyle. If someone can't control their weight because they have a weak will, they should probably work on developing will power. Everyone is capable of this. But most people would rather make excuses than progress. Which is fine. It's a free country and they should be allowed to do so. But they need to accept the consequences of their actions when they arise.

It's rare that we're on the same page, Mak, but you're absolutely correct here. And the truth of the matter is this. The only reason we are even having this discussion is because we have the luxury of living in a civilized society. Obesity is a luxury. How many obese animals do we see in the wild? Very few. For two reasons. One, because most animals are typically required by their environment to move around in order to guarantee their own safety and survival. And two, because the fat ones get picked off by predators. Natural selection.

We live in a time of technological advancement where we do not have to move much to stay alive. We can live rather sedentary lifestyles and have all of our basic biological needs covered (food, water, air, clothing, shelter). Because of this, our will power to move and exercise becomes dimininished. Couple this with all the unhealthy food that we consume and we are a species that is much more prone to obesity, laziness, and weak will.

No one would be claiming they couldn't help being fat if they had to go out and hunt for their food everyday the way man once had to. If they had to worry about being picked off, eaten, or killed by predators every time they left their house. No one would be eating out of depression. Not only would they not have access to the food, but they wouldn't have time to sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Their only two options would be hunt or die.

But we are fat and lazy because we are separated from our animal insticts. Because our environment no longer demands it from us. We have too much luxury and it has made us weak and helpless.

 

I don't think it's the government's responsibility to "fix" obesity. If people are fat, they can do whatever they want to lose weight, or not do anything at all and die of obesity if that's what they desire. Government funding is not needed for this. People can always walk/run for free.

 

Indeed you are right, obesity or problems related to that not always results due to overeating but there are some hereditary problems in some human beings as well that cause it. for those who do not have the sufficient money to put that belt on, medicare facility is great deal.

 

The government of the U.S. was caught lying and cooking the books about the "huge problem" of obesity. I realize lying and cooking the books is what they do but please excuse me if I don't get my knickers in a twist and agree that I want to pay for more for another government-manufactured "crisis" that we don't want to go to waste.

A friend of mine had the operation. He lost a lot of weight. A few months ago he talked about his eating restrictions and problems now and they were substantial. I pointed out that if he'd simply started eating the way he's forced to eat now the surgery wuuldn't have been necessary and he'd be healthier and happier. He agreed.

Up next week, should taxpayers fund breast enlargement surgery to fight the epidemic of TTLSE, Tiny Tit Low Self Esteem, plaguing our country?

 

Before we go blaming every fat person for their condition and pretend like it's completely optional, it's worth remembering that your income level and subsequent access to actual healthy foods as opposed to what fits in your budget is very important. Even if you're not "stuffing your face", eating the wrong foods can have a major impact, and when your economic situation precludes you from eating healthier foods, there's less personal power to combat the problem already. Genetics certainly do play into it as well, plus other factors. What if you're working two jobs to support your family, and by the time you get home you simply don't have enough energy to exercise?

This is complicated, and I can see both sides of the argument. I don't mean to say that nobody who is overweight is responsible for being overweight, but I'm also not saying that pointing out things like "Oh, if you burn more calories than you take in you won't be fat" because all that does is gloss over a problem and make it appear to be simple, when in reality as is so often true, it is anything but.

Personal responsibility does need to be considered though. Someone mentioned government funding for lung transplants and other procedures born of lung cancer. That's a very good point, but also a hard one because not all lung cancer is caused by that person smoking. There are simply too many variables in life to have a one-size-fits-all policy on everything. All that shows me is, you don't care to understand the complexities of the situation and would rather be able to write it off with a simple "tough love" sentence or two and move on.

So often we want there to be an easy and concise place to put blame for something. Obesity? It's the fat person's fault! Lost your job? It's your fault! While that does make it easy to argue against something, it really only ignores the dynamics of complicated realistic situations.

 

All obesity is caused by lack of exercise and over eating. Thats just how biology works. If you take in more calories than you burn you gain weight. If you burn more calories than you take in you lose weigt.

 

What do you mean tort reform? How do you take away the constitutional right to trial by jury in civil trial? Also, why shouldn't a Dr have to carry malpractive insurace to do business? Truck drivers required to have insurance to drive. For that matter so am I.

 

Why shouldn't shysters like the famous Democrat candidate Senator John Edwards be able to make $29 million in a few years with bogus lawsuits? It's the lbieral way. I was in a severe rear-end collision on the interstate. My car was totaled but other than some stiffness for a couple of days, I suffered no injury.

A week later I got a letter from a lawyer. I thought, "That kid is suing me." Nope. The letter was from a lawyer but it said he'd seen the accident report and saw that I didn't think I was injured. The lawyer said that he had a chiropractor who was an expert at diagnosing "permanently disabling injuries." Then the letter said, all in caps and in red ink, "You might never have to work again."

No, I can't see any reason for tort reform. Trial lawyers and vultures have rights, too, you know.

The Seventh Amendment says, "In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law." I'm honestly not sure what suits are "common law" but I am sure that most lawyers want to go to trial in state courts where there is no Constitutional Guarantee.

 

The right to sue is one of the 10 amendments to the to the constitution what other of the first 10 amendments do you want to get rid of. How about the second we don't need guns either if we can't sue.

 

I believe if it's warranted it should! Given the increase in obesity related diseass like Diabetes and the cost that medical care for those conditions...paying for a gastric bypass is a drop in the bucket cost! I believe that education about this life saving surgery and other things to make sure the person follows the "rules" afterwards so the weight doesn't come back should also be mandatory!

I had a gastric bypass in 2009 because I weighed 237 pounds on a 5'1" small boned frame. I tried so many diets and nothing worked for long. I also have hypothyroidism and osteoarthritis as well as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Medicare and Medicaid paid for my surgery. Two and a half years later...i weight 109 pounds and have not had a shot of insulin since the day of my surgery (nov.9,2009). I take no high blood pressure medication or high cholesterol medication and all I take for my arthritis in my knees is over the counter Tylenol. I believe I have saved Medicare (I no longer am on Medicaid) at least $10,000 that would have been spent on medications, dr. appointments, disability payments and knee replacement surgery!

BUT this surgery isn't for people who need to lose a mere 25-30 pounds! It is for severely obese (100pounds with BMI of 35 and above) and/or those who have life threatening diseases due to obesity.

It is a known fact that many people (willpower or not) do not stick with diets forever. All it takes is a certain amount of weight loss and then you take that fateful extra handful of potato chips or a late night bowl of ice cream. For some people eating is an addiction and only drastic measures can stop it!

So yes I firmly believe that after you have your heart and psyciatric(sp) workups and at least 9 months of nutrition counseling...the government and/or insurance should pay for this surgery. The cost of the diseases associated with obesity is much more throughout the course of a lifetime than a one shot surgery that can change a person life forever!

 

Nothing about healthcare should be federally funded.

 

Just had to add that gastric bypass is NOT taking the easy way out!!!! Most people who have gastric bypass here in the United States do not just walk into a doctor's office and ask for the surgery and next week have it! First of all your family/primary physician will NOT refer you to a surgeon unless you are severely obese and/or have 3 of 7 co-mobidities (diseases that will KILL you). Then you go to a seminar where you hear all about the surgery in graphic detail. Then you have a full cardiac workup done. Then you have a full battery of psychiatric tests. Then you have 9 months of nutrition counseling where you absolutely CANNOT gain even one pound or you are OUT of the program! You can lose weight (and are encouraged to lose weight because they want your liver to be smaller when they move it to get to the stomach) but you cannot gain one pound of the weight you lost! You can stay the same weight as when you first in the program but you cannot gain anymore. You cannot SMOKE while in this program or after the surgery because of the risk of stomach ulcers and/or cancer!

After the surgery you cannot eat any real food for 6 weeks. Only pureed food. You cannot have any soda or caffeine whatsoever ...again because of ulcers. You HAVE to exercise! Then you can slowly (as the surgeon allows) begin to eat real food. However...you can and probably will experience "dumping syndrome" if you eat something too fast, too greasy, too salty, too sugary or too much of! Dumping syndrome is painful. It results in nausea,cramps in the lower intestines worse than labor pains, gas and bloating and it lasts anywhere from 4-8 hours!!!!!!

You have to drink protein shakes forever. You have to take Vitamin B12 forever the rest of your life.

So for those who say it's the easy way out, I can tell you that it isn't. It's a long, hard decision that isn't made lightly. Not only is there the chance of death (1 out of 1,000) but any number of things can go wrong during and after the surgery!

Sure us fat/obese people could just put down the fork and begin to exercise...riiiiiight. It isn't that easy or simple if it was EVERYBODY would be thin. Eating(as I said above) can be an addiction. It's no different than smoking! We know it's bad for us but we do it anyway! Thankfully I NEVER smoked so that was one thing I didn't have to go through!

Weight watchers cost money. Eating healthy costs more money than eating mac and cheese and hot dogs and other low cost fatty foods (I'm not talking about fast food here from Burger King etc). I'm talking about trying to put a meal on the table to fill you family! And if you're at or below the poverty level...fat, filling foods are all you can afford, even in the summer months unless you have room to grow your own garden!

Now? I can't remember the last time I ate at McDonalds. I just don't crave fatty food anymore. I can walk by the pastry /deli/sweet aisle at the grocery store and not even look cause I no longer crave that junk anymore. Taking out ten feet of my large intestine (yes that's what they do they remove ten feet of your large intestine!)...has not only cause any grease I eat to NOT be absorbed but it has also stopped my cravings for greasy and sweet foods!

It was the best thing I ever did for myself and the best thing the Government ever did for me also!

And to those who say "stop eating. you put yourself there. I didn't make you pick up the fork and eat yourself to death"...no you didn't...you're right: I did that all by myself! But I'm sure you have some bad habits that at a later date could kill you! Should someone deny you medication or surgery that could save your life because YOU did it to YOURSELF? No! No! No! What a horrible world this would be if that were the case! Just think before you get all judgemental about fat/obese people and this life saving surgery. Someday it might be you who needs something paid for by someone else (be it medication, surgery etc) and I hope nobody denies you what you need to continue living or judges you harshly for doing what you have to to stay alive!

 

How typical. Pitiful but typical. Tort reform for the developmentally disabled means no lawsuits allowed. And would you please tell me how a solicitation for a bogus lawsuit somehow involves the applicable amendment? Not allowing lawyers to solicit for bogus lawsuits would be tort reform, wouldn't.

I assume you're either a trial lawyer or someone hoping for the opportunity of "YOU MIGHT NEVER HAVE TO WORK AGAIN."

I fully support the 2nd Amendment and the 7th amendment. Does that mean when you shoot your toe off I think you should collect $150 million from Smith and Wesson? No. Do I think you have a constitutional right to try to get $150 million from Smith and Wesson when you shoot your toe off? No. Do I think when yuo pursue a bogus lawsuit against anyone you should be liable for their expenses when you lose? Absolutely.

 

false dichotomy.

 

If I had a cheeseburger for every person who says how "simple" it all is to do this yet has a half a dozen negative and costly habits they "can't" break (often habits that are costly for OTHER people, society, etc.), I could make all of Bangladesh overweight!

 

Here's a crazy notion, if you're too lazy to loose the weight thru good diet and exercise, how about you pay for the surgery yourself.

Wow, just wow. I mean how (*)(*)(*)(*)ing helpless are you people?

 

Sure it is. You could diet and lose weight naturally.

If you are able to lose weight knowing you are having surgery, why couldn't you lose it yourself without someone telling you to?

You could have exercised before the surgery and lost weight that way.

Seems to be an easy decision these days. Too lazy to go on a diet and eat healthy, can't be bothered exercising, I'll just get a gastric band to solve my problems!

You exercised after the surgery, didn't you? Why couldn't you exercise before?

Gastric bands cost the taxpayer tens of thousands. I think they have more reason to complain than you do.

Then you are shopping in the wrong supermarket.

I work at McDonalds, I have eaten McDonalds hundreds of times in the last six years, and I am not fat. I wonder why?

And why couldn't you pay for it yourself, seeing you got yourself into that position in the first place?

If you wanted to stay alive you would have eaten healthy to begin with.

Yes, if you cause your own illness through your own bad habits, you should be denied medication. That includes smokers and alcoholics.