South Carolina to cover obesity surgery next year
(image from Division of General Surgery, Langone Medical Centre)
The United States state of South Carolina will be enabling government workers through the state health plan to get surgeries related to obesity and cover the costs through insurance (Source).
These surgeries are very expensive, but apparently South Carolina sees them as a necessary cost to combat the OMG OBESITY CRISIS.
Which … really?
They’re only going to offer them on a first come, first served basis. Which strikes me as problematic. While I don’t agree with fear mongering and worries that people will “eat their way to a weight” in order to get the surgery and the “quick fix” (epic eye roll of ridiculousness — “quick” fix? With the costs, the possibility of dying during surgery and the extended recovery time? QUICK FIX?), I have to wonder how something like this would be regulated — judging it on BMI is extremely iffy to me. A simple google would find many studies that disprove the outdated concept of judging a person’s weight on their Body Mass Index. I can’t believe people are still using it.
I don’t know where I stand on surgery. There are some in the fat acceptance movement that feel that the very idea of it goes against the whole movement. Myself, I’m a big believer in personal choices and personal automony. I don’t expect you to tell me what to do with my body, therefore I don’t want to tell another person what to do with their body. I would hope that people who choose to get it would be counselled, the risks discussed, the quality of life and care afterwards thoroughly explored. I would hope that that person had explored every other avenue they could before deciding. I would hope that that person would be making their own choice and not their doctor’s, partner’s, parent’s or friend’s choice.
And the last line of the article from the Republican senator who opposes the plan (but wanted to charge overweight workers $25 more on their health care premiums) made me see red:
“”Those who are grossly obese probably incur greater costs to the health plan than those who smoke.”
This argument, senator? Is tired. This argument? Makes me wish that you’d get an itch on the middle of your back that you just …. can’t … reach. This argument makes me want a green ant to bite you on the tip of your big toe. In short, this misinformed, widely disproved argument makes me spew a lot of hyperbole and speak in internet acroynms. Here’s one for you: STFU.
