The politics of obesity: Part A

Washington, July 21 (2010)/PRNewswire/ - As the Obama Administration sets its sights on overweight Americans, demanding obesity ratings for all citizens by 2014, the Health and Human Services Department announced this week that under the Stimulus Law, health providers must establish "meaningful use" of electronic health records to qualify for federal subsidies or risk seeing their Medicare and Medicaid payments slashed. The electronic health records must include Americans' body mass index (BMI), height and weight.

Former secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, a long-standing advocate in the fight against obesity says, "As secretary, I launched a 'Call to Action' to fight excess weight and obesity. Personal, accurate and actionable information is a first step to people understanding their health and changing behaviors. To achieve those goals requires smart incentives by government, schools and the private sector, not legislated mandates built on outdated science."

According to Thompson, the requirement to measure BMI underscores the faults in the new regulations. He points to a growing consensus in the scientific community backing the use of "body composition analysis," including a new University of Southern California study that points to this new model in obesity management.

Thompson notes, "A new generation of private sector firms including Stay Healthy are bringing innovative, effective and affordable new tools to the American public based on the medical community's consensus about body composition analysis that will enable Americans to understand and change their health and behavior on their own without government interference. Note: This is why we use the Stayhealthy BC-1. In past articles I have talked about the inaccuracies of body mass index (BMI).

You may ask - So why is our government (and employers) so concerned about my being overweight or obese? For the same reasons you should be. In next week's article I will go over some of the major reasons.

Obesity and being overweight is a national problem and a very personal one to those who are overweight. We have answers. For a free consult or to attend Dr. Grandstaff's class on the Ideal Protein Diet/Treatment Protocol and physiology of weight gain and loss please call 772-6015. Come on Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint, let's lose weight and get healthy together.