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

[teedubya]

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.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by sedated

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.

BMI is an awful statistic. My BMI lists me as obese. I go to the gym five days a week for an hour and a half to two hours. I do cardio and lifting.

While I'm not even extremely muscular I'm listed as obese. It's ridiculous.

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by Brock

Read up on it and get back to me when you're a little more educated.

I have better shit to do with my time.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by ArrowheadHawk

It helped me lose 50 pounds.

Oh well, at least we have this useful anecdotal evidence. Let's apply it to every man, woman and child in the USA.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by ArrowheadHawk

I have better shit to do with my time.

You're a ****ing reerun.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by ArrowheadHawk

I have better shit to do with my time.

Aspartame increases hunger and causes you to eat more. I doubt the aspartame alone helped you lose the weight. If so, you're special. There's a reason so many fat people buying Diet Coke's are still fat.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

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

The major reason is the food industry.

Unless some wealthy philanthropist decides to do the entire country a favor, the government is going to have to do something about it.

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by Brock

You're a ****ing reerun.

I'm in a message board asking you to tell me why its not better and you basically respond with. "I'm not going to tell you go find out for yourself". And now you resort to name calling. Great way to have a discussion.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

The major reason is the food industry.

No, it isn't. It's behavior.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Brock

Bullshit. People are fat in this country because they eat too much and they don't exercise. Food industry, advertising, and government inaction have nothing to do with it. Everybody knows they should eat better and they should exercise and they choose not to.

People are a lot fatter now than they were 50 years ago.

Why? The food industry changed.

[Rain Man]

I saw a documentary about American deserters living in North Korea a while back, and it was interesting. There was a small handful of them, and I think the Koreans did things like kidnap white wives for them and stuff. It was a very strange world they lived in, and particularly odd to see their kids, who were white but had completely grown up in the Kim cult. Very strange.

One of the most striking lines to me was this one guy, a big ol' fat American guy who'd been there for decades, talking about how well he was treated. He said something like, "Even when times were hard, they never cut my food rations." (He got choked up saing it.) 1.6 kilos a day. I always got it. [rain man note: I could be wrong on the amount. Working from memory.]

It was an interesting movie. Here's a review: "Crossing the Line". http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/19/movies/19cros.html

[Brock]

Originally Posted by ArrowheadHawk

I'm in a message board asking you to tell me why its not better and you basically respond with. "I'm not going to tell you go find out for yourself". And now you resort to name calling. Great way to have a discussion.

Do you want me to post links? Or are you too ****ing intellectually lazy to read them?

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by AndChiefs

Aspartame increases hunger and causes you to eat more. I doubt the aspartame alone helped you lose the weight. If so, you're special. There's a reason so many fat people buying Diet Coke's are still fat.

Look Brock an inteligent answer....You are right it wasn't diet soda alone that caused me to lose weight. It was calorie counting which was greatly helped by drinking Diet rather than Regular soda.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

People are a lot fatter now than they were 50 years ago.

Why? The food industry changed.

What hasn't changed since 50 years ago? Good grief.

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

The major reason is the food industry.

Unless some wealthy philanthropist decides to do the entire country a favor, the government is going to have to do something about it.

I really hope you get killed by a Frito-Lay delivery truck.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by AndChiefs

There's a reason so many fat people buying Diet Coke's are still fat.

but...but it makes up for the calories in a double quarter pounder with cheese!!