Government will require all Americans by 2014 to have a Obesity Rating
 

I'm Doooooooomed. LOL.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/69436

Obesity Rating for Every American Included in Stimulus-Mandated Electronic Health Records

New federal regulations issued this week stipulate that the electronic health records--that all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the stimulus law that President Barack Obama signed last year--must record not only the traditional measures of height and weight, but also the Body Mass Index: a measure of obesity.

The obesity-rating regulation states that every American's electronic health record must: “Calculate body mass index. Automatically calculate and display body mass index (BMI) based on a patient’s height and weight.”

The law also requires that these electronic health records be available--with appropriate security measures--on a national exchange.

The new regulations are one of the first steps towards the government’s goal of universal adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by 2014, as outlined in the 2009 economic stimulus law. Specifically, the regulations issued on Tuesday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, define the "meaningful use" of electronic records. Under the stimulus law, health care providers--including doctors and hospitals--must establish "meaningful use" of EHRs by 2014 in order to qualify for federal subsidies. After that, they will be subjected to penalties in the form of diminished Medicare and Medicaid payments for not establishing "meaningful use" of EHRs.

Section 3001 of the stimulus law says: "The National Coordinator shall, in consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies (including the National Institute of Standards and Technology), update the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan (developed as of June 3, 2008) to include specific objectives, milestones, and metrics with respect to the following: (i) The electronic exchange and use of health information and the enterprise integration of such information.‘‘(ii) The utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014."

Under this mandate in the stimulus law, Secretary Sebelius issued a regulation--developed by Dr. Blumenthal--that requires that all EHRs keep track of a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) score. Body Mass Index is a ratio between a person’s weight and height, and is used to determine whether or not someone is overweight or obese. It is the preferred method of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for measuring obesity.

Michelle Obama has made dealing with the problem of childhood obesity the main theme of her term as First Lady.

U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. (Photo by Penny Starr/CNSNews.com)
According to the CDC, “BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.”

A person’s BMI score is used as a tool to screen for obesity or excessive body fat that could lead to other health problems. While it does not actually measure body fat directly, according to CDC, the BMI scores generally correlate with a person’s body fat percentage.

The new regulations also stipulate that the new electronic records be capable of sending public health data to state and federal health agencies such as HHS and CDC. The CDC, which calls American society “obesogenic” – meaning that American society itself promotes obesity – collects BMI scores from state health agencies every year to monitor obesity nationwide.

“Electronically record, retrieve, and transmit syndrome based public health surveillance information to public health agencies,” the regulations read.

With the spread of electronic health records, the CDC apparently will be able to collect such data more efficiently and with greater accuracy because the electronic record keeping systems can send the data automatically, eliminating the need for government – both state and federal – to keep, send, and process physical records.

fat chance that ever happening ............

Please move to DC.

I'M NOT FAT, I'M BIG BONED!!!

I hate Obama.



There.....that should get it moving.

Obama= sleeper cell

That's not fair, when I was born I have a birth defect that gave me a 30 pound schlong.

Obama - worst President ever not named Jimmy Carter

This is a pretty good idea. It's not like they are forcing people to lose weight or discriminating against fat people.

Is Obesity Rating your number of rep points divided by number of posts divided by two?

If not, please move the thread to DC!!!!!

george w bush was the worst president EVER


yes, even worse than jimmy carter

Here's an "under rated poster" list I'd definitely be on!

This will be a boon to online dating if they can verify your score.

Would you have felt the same way if you were still obese?

Are you very familiar with POTUS history?

Obviously not........

Yeah, but only if they develop a metric to identify the "skinny fat".

THIS!

Great point.

Give him time.

He has more government mandates and $10K road signs (which happen to look conspicuously like his campaign buttons) to foist on the public.

Obama will go screaming past Carter by 2011.

At least Carter knew better than to bow to Saudi leaders.

Nothing to see here, government is not overstepping it's bounds!

Are you ugly? Slow? Have ADD? Depression?

You need to step in the line to left please.

Yes.

Why do you think that the government wants this data?

Well this is pretty stupid.

Lets use the data that has no bearing on health, as a determining factor for your health.

Are you saying weight has no bearing on one's overall health? I can list several problems I've had due to being overweight. Well, maybe not due to it, as they're problems thin people can have, too. I would be closer to correct by saying that being overweight made these problem more likely to occur.

BMI doesn't.

To improve the health of Americans.

And you think that should be one of the responsibilities of our government?

Well, they have a stake in it now since they're providing health care or whatever.


I'm a little worried that they'll start reading about those ultra-low calorie diets and start enforcing them. We'll all get 1 cup of rice a day and will long for the days when we could eat things like fruits and vegetables.

Have you done your cardio duty today, citizen?

Americans have failed at maintaining their health on their own.

That's why we have so many fat ****s walking around.

Forcing Americans to exercise isn't the answer, and wouldn't be right, but making it easier for them to do so might be.

Hopefully the government can come up with some national programs and encourage people to be a part of it.

Or requiring you to visit the doctor even if you don't want to do so.

It's fairly close, but we've had this discussion before.

There are such programs. They are voluntary, of course (now). There's a big difference between encouraging versus ordering.

I'm still "obese". Great idea, IMO.

I wonder if they'll then tie in to the records from your grocery store's shopper card so they'll know whether you're just fat cause you're fat, or fat cause you're living on a steady diet of Doritos, Twinkies and bacon?

Well here's what they can do with this data. They can target advertising for those programs more accurately.

If the average fat American was visited by a representative from a government-sponsored weight loss program, and encouraged to register and participate, I bet there would be fewer fat Americans.

But maybe I have my head way up my ass and America is hopelessly fat.

Here's a thought: currently the weight loss and exercise industry is thriving. Some people don't want to spend the money they feel they have to in order to lose weight. What if the government made it a lot cheaper for them?

It's useless, but we've had this discussion before.

It's scares the crap out of me that anyone would welcome such a visit.

Useless? No. Inaccurate for some people? Yes.

It's harmless, and potentially very beneficial.

And it would create jobs.

OBAMA!

I apologize folks, but this is pretty much how my entire generation sees the world, GC is a bit of a simpleton, but his views on this particular front do mirror his general demographic.

Nope, not interested in coming up with our own solutions, but hopefully [sic], big brother can fix everything for us...

I still blame the Baby Boomers. **** you guys.

If it's inaccurate for some people, then maybe we need to find an accurate measurement for everybody. And you know they exist, so quit rationalizing this crap.

I can almost guarantee that they will use this data in some form of discrimination down the road, but it will be presented as being for our own good, probably to do with increased premiums, sort of like they (insurance companies) are doing with smoking presently. However, being overweight and smoking are both bad for you and as health care is expensive, it would be wise to use certain incentives to get Americans to drop weight/quit smoking to try to bring down some of the expense. Of course, making fun of the overweight has been going on for years and that is a more direct approach which appears to have failed, although judging by your posts, it seems like you are going to continue to try that approach.

Not even close. The worst President this country has ever had is US Grant.

I don't disagree with that.

mmmm...bacon.:homer:

So what is your solution?

There will be fewer fat Americans when things have less toxins in the food... and less High Fructose Corn Syrup... and less aspartame... and less shit.

But, the theory behind this is good... but I think the execution of this will be greatly flawed.

My solution is to stay out of people's personal business.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

We're responsible for our own decisions in this world and the ramifications of said decisions.

Tell the government to stop subsidizing fat people and if they die of heart disease, well they probably enjoyed their 50 years of eating whatever the **** they wanted.

In either event - it was their choice and it didn't involve my money or my Congressman's time.

I know the concept of reaping what you sow died in the 1950s, but it really does have some merit.

:LOL:

Pretty much both of these.

That would require overbearing regulation of the food industry.

Ultimately it's up to the individual. All the government can do is encourage people and make it easier for them.

Hahaha, not even close.

My favorite foods are cholesterol and saturated fat.

Sprinkle on a little sodium nitrate and tabasco and I'm all set!

Too bad BMI means nothing.

Attention: All fat people to the back of the bus.

All the government can do is STFU and let people take responsibility for their own lives.

The Federal Government is not your damn kindergarden teacher, it isn't your mother. It isn't designed to hold your hand and steer you along the proper path in life.

I just don't understand what is difficult about this concept.

Some people can't survive without the government's help.

Shit happens.

We have morgues and cemetaries for just such a contingency.

Let them die? Really?

You would cast thousands of people onto America's streets and watch them die of starvation and exposure? Including elderly Americans?

Awful.

They all suck the penis...

We'll make more.

Some of them might even be useful.

Personally I have no problem discriminating against fat people who are fat because of their own habits. Charge them more for insurance (since they are probably just as expensive as smokers) and whatever else you want to do.

However, using BMI will cause as many if not more problems than it would solve. Its inaccurate in that it would punish the people the gov’t is trying to benefit – people who are in shape and workout. Muscle mass throws everything off. If it goes where a lot of people think it might go, Bruno deadlifting Buicks at Gold Gym every day will suddenly be considered obese and a health risk, pay higher premiums, and be discriminated against just like big Bertha stuffing her face with cheeseburgers at McDonalds.

Some people are overweight for other reasons besides their eating habits. If the gov’t is going to punish fat people, they need to make sure they are only punishing fat people, and broad assumptions based on the (intentionally) simplest formula known to man isn’t the way to do it.

This

Even when others' personal business costs us all money?

Other people's business doesn't cost you a dime, unless they're competing for your dollar in the same business. And that "cost" is known as competition.

So are you guys against the BMI being included in the EHR's or just against the EHR's in general?

We managed to go a couple hundred years without throwing the elderly out into the streets to die.

That's the problem with your concept of reality.

People really do help each other. Family members support one another. Churches do. Communities do.

This idea that the we need the government to intercede in our affairs to protect us from the streets filling with the rotting corposes of octegenarians is just garbage put forth by a government that wants you to need it. They need you to feel like they're your only option. How else to they justified these ever increasing power grabs?

And folks like you have bought into it.

Save us, oh mighty gubbamint, save us helpless masses!

Spare me. The nation managed to survive just fine without a massive Federal monolith telling us what we can eat and who we can ****.

I think we'll be alright...

Doesn't have to.

It does because we've chosen to allow government to subsidize poor decisions.

Yet another example of us using the government to solve a problem that the government itself has created.

And yet another pretty easy solution...

LOL

Are you saying America was a better place to live 100 years ago?

I think you are taking this to the extreme. The business world just wants to make money, so they're not going to solve the obesity problem. Expecting people to just magically become more responsible isn't going to happen, nor is the food industry going to change their ways.

The only remaining option is the government do something about it...saying that's a bad thing is just stupid. Where else is a solution going to come from?

People are fat in this country because the food industry dominates advertising and doesn't give a shit about keep people healthy. The only way to combat that is the government. So you either regulate the food industry, which would make everyone bitch and moan and would be wrong anyway, or you precisely target fat Americans with free weight loss, nutrition and exercise programs.

With the new Health Care reform thing, this shouldn't seem as much of a surprise. This is just the start, IMO.

If you smoke or are fat... you are the new "3/5".

People are fat in this country for a variety of reasons, and giving the government more power over people isn't the solution.

For that matter, it's unconstitutional anyway, although most people just ignore that pesky document.

On the plus side, fat people provide more Soylent Green.

ST TNG reference?

And really really expensive health insurance if they choose not to fit into the government mold for their height and weight.

smokers..check
fat people..check
old people...check

What? Actually they should replace corn syrup with aspertame. That would help.

regulating the food industry "would be wrong"? what about the FDA?