I didn't watch the show today but I totally agree with taxing things like soda, and junk food.  Might make people think twice, especially if they have kids.  In the state I live in the food stamp program is considering not even covering soda, etc, BUT allowing prepared food.

Melissa.

Interesting viewpoint.  I actually find the The Doctors to be very biased in their views on many topics, not just junk food.

Tobacoo has been heavily taxed for years, yet it has not had a significant effect.  Alcohol is also heavily taxed, yet accidents and related health issues have not decreased significantly.  While I don't appreciate Jillian's loud and sometimes foul-mouthed behavior, she is dead-right about people needing to take responsibility for their choices.  Why should I have to pay more for the occasional McDonald's or Taco Bell meal just because other people won't accept responsibility for their own choices?

Hi av8r115, Well, I think Tobacco and Alcohol have been heavily taxed for the wrong purposes. I believe (not sure about this one) that the money goes into general funds to be spent wherever they want to spend it.  I'm talking about a tax on all these products that make us unhealthy....maybe not you personally. I hope you never are ill and are left losing most everything you own because you cannot work full time and keep your healthcare benefits. 

(this is part 1 of 4 segments)

I will share a bit of my story....a successful woman, full of energy-trying to make the world a better place. In 1996 found out I had diabetes;I admit I was overweight but did everything right to control it, lost 80# & became an exercise fanitic...I have always eaten healthy home cooked meals-with the occasional fast food and snacks.  I went through a divorce, went to school and became a nurse....flying high in life making my dreams come true...living the American Dream, nice house and car, good credit etc.  Loved raising my kids we were a team and happy.  Then my Blood Sugars became more and more difficult to control--I was getting depressed, crying all the time.  I started having issues with my heart not beating right, I was exhausted all the time...I couldn't keep up with anything anymore and couldn't get a part time job with healthcare benefits...by this time I was on insulin and having pain issues as well.  I had a break down. I couldn't work anymore. 

(this site is not letting me even use 2000 characters)

I sold my house and everything to survive--paid hundreds of dollars a month for COBRA.  Tried another job, then another,but my health wouldn't allow me. My blood sugars yoyo'd dramatically and I was always beating myself up for it--I finally was diagnosed with TYPE 1 (aka Juvenile Diabetes).  I got an insulin pump which has helped. As a nurse I saw so many stories like mine...people losing everything they worked their whole lives for to get help with health care.  These are not obesity related diseased either.  Many are Autoimmune like mine...then there’s all the mental health issues that go with a lifelong disease.  We can't just lose weight or exercise our way to health...but of course it can help. I've gone through a very demeaning process of trying to get help--and I see people acting like those of us who need help are just not worthy of living (look at the last republican debate and the audience cries of let him die). 

I want to stop this broken process...see a system where everybody gets good healthcare--not just those who have upper jobs and thus deserve the best healthcare.  A system where everybody pays in through a tax on those things that are bad for us anyway (as well as co pays during our visits)---and that money will only go to the health and social welfare system.  This would allow people to open up the money they would have paid for insurance to go to other things like home, car, gas, food...you get my drift. I've seen many elderly have to choose between purchasing food or meds or treatments not covered by their medicare/medicaid plans.  Why?  So we can line some CEO's pocket.  Healthcare should not be a profit driven business....of course the providers should make excellent pay for the very difficult work they do and the ancillary staff as well.  But all those billions extra should stay in the system....to provide flu shots for all, health education classes, preventative care, birth control, and the much needed care for those who are sick and cannot care for themselves. 

That tobacco and alcohol money should only be going to treat the very ailments that they create and the education/prevention/treatment of those that need it.  I see by default people becoming healthier as wholesome foods become more affordable or as companies start producing healthier foods that would fit into the category of wholesomeness...we would really be subsidizing farmers for good reasons...to keep healthy foods readably available--stop the practice of being paid to grow nothing.  I want my kids and grandkids to be able to go the the doctor...they should not be denied care because their employer is too cheap to provide insurance (as so many employers do  these days---I know due to high costs...BS....due to high costs insurance companies charge for a product they really do nothing about but cut costs for their CEO's. 

I care about people...and it hurts to see how they are barely making it. It hurts to watch my life failing...my thoughts of suicide becoming stronger with each day I watch people fight against what should be a human right....esp. in the richest country in the world. We can easily fix this but are blinded by the light of rage that someone might get something they didn't earn. Well, I've worked since I was 14 years old...damn hard work...but now have to experience such shaming by the public. I pray everyday we will figure out what is wrong with me so I can have my life back---one where I could hike, camp, kayak, go on trips, own a home again, work in my beloved nursing...instead of checking my blood sugar and constantly adjusting my insulin dosage according to what I eat or activity level...or just from stress or illness....instead of having all my body ache so badly that I'm so painful and fatigued  I can't get out of bed. 

So while you worry about the few extra cents it will cost you to enjoy that pizza, pop, cheetos, wine, beer, smoke, Wendy's, McDonald's etc.....I will worry about what will happen to me if I don't get approved for help from Social Security...and my life saving insulin.  

Doctors do a real show about real issues of healthcare in America.  Follow Home Health nurses around....go to Nursing Homes and see how our elderly are really treated. Big money is going to companies but not to the care of our grandparents.  4/4

. 

I was really annoyed at yesterday's show. The topic was "should obese people pay more for health insurance?"  WHY???  I was 335 lbs and the Medicare Advantage plan I had back then paid for my visits to a bariatrician. He helped me get on the right track in so many ways. He also did blood tests that showed I had Type 2 diabetes. He sent me to the local hospital where I took classes in Healthy Weight and to the diabetes center where I took a course on how to handle my diabetes. I started losing weight.

Unfortunately, along the way, I was in a horrific car accident where a tractor trailer made a left turn from the right turn lane. I was just sitting there waiting to make my turn when the driver just pulled out in front of me, cut me off, and in the process ripped off the entire passenger side of my car lifting the car into the air twice. While this was all happening, I didn't know if I'd be dead or alive when it was all over. She then tried to do a hit and run. All of this left me with physical injuries and acute trauma.

I also had to switch insurance companies as the company I was with decided to no longer offer the Medicare Advantage plan. The new company sent out a specific letter informing all participants that "no obesity treatment would be covered. No bariatric surgery, no visits to the bariatrician, etc." I could no longer visit my bariatrician as the appointments were just too expensive for someone on social security. I was on my own. (continued)

The only good thing to come out of my accident was meeting my trauma specialist. At first, after the accident, I didn't want to eat at all. Just looking at food made me nauseous. She kept telling me I had to eat something. So I did and put back about 30 of the pounds I had lost. I had gotten down to 225 and was now back up to 260. We talked a lot about how the accident was affecting my life and I decided to get healthy. I had my primary care doctor send me to the diabetes center and found a wonderfully, caring nutritionist who put together a food plan I could live with. I've lowered my AlC from 14.5 to 6.7 and am now down to 192. The nutritionist at the Healthy Weight classes gave me a goal of 155, based on my height, age and bone structure. I am going to make it!

But my biggest gripe is that insurance has not paid a dime towards all of this. They will pay for me to see the diabetes nutritionist, but will not pay for obese persons to see a nutritionist to get help with their weight loss. When you are 100+ pounds overweight, you CANNOT do it yourself. And yes, there are genetic factors. My body chemistry is such that I was addicted to simple carbs. I cannot eat bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, or anything with white flour or sugar in it. I've been overweight since I was 7 years old. I'm 60 now and finally learning what I need to do. I no longer listen to doctors as they just don't listen when I try to tell them how my body reacts to certain foods. And I certainly don't think an obese person should pay more for health insurance when health insurance does NOTHING to help us get the help we need. If I were an alcoholic or a drug addict, they'd pay for a rehab program. But if you are addicted to food, you get NO help at all. I'll be damned if I'd pay more for something that has no benefits to me to get help for my problem.

And finally, will someone please tell Jillian Michaels that she is NOT a doctor! I used to love watching the show, but now I tape it and fast forward when she opens her mouth. Yea, she says she's helped so many people get healthy, but how?  By spending 8 hours a day in a gym?  Sure, we can all do that because no one has to work, go to school, etc. I have to wonder how many of those people have actually kept the weight off. Having someone screaming at you is the last thing an obese person needs. We get enough insults thrown at us from total strangers on the street. What we need is caring and compassion and help learning the proper way to eat and exercise. And 8 hours a day of exercise is not proper for anyone, but an Olympic athlete in training!

Get rid of her!

I completely agree!  I could literally feel the hatred for "fat" people from her.  At least before her, all the doctors still had a compassion for people while still being concerned for their health.  I could feel my blood pressure rise as watching her on the shows.

murphy1378,

The reasons for taxing alcohol and tobacco are irrelevant: the tax has not had any significant effect on consumption.  The same will hold true for McDonald's.

Yes, it would be great if we could all have cheap health insurance.  I personally cannot afford health insurance right now.  But giving more of my money to the federal government is not the answer.  Neither is mandating health insurance for every imaginable disease, which only raises the cost of insurance for everyone.  It is not the government's responsibility to feed me, clothe me, give me a job, or pay for my health insurance, and I certainly don't want my tax money paying for those things for someone else.

Insurance companies WANT to offer insurance policies; that's how they develop an income, hire more people, provide benefits to their own employees, and repay people who invested in the company.  When the government gets its nose out of the insurance business, they will find a way to offer insurance that is affordable.

Do I think insurance companies do everything right? Definitely not.  If someone pays their premiums for years, they shouldn't be dropped just because they actually file a claim.

As for doctors being compassionate & empathetic simply by virture of being a doctor, when I was in the hospital for 6 days a few years ago, every one of them reminded me of a used car salesman.  They kept me in the hospital until my insurance ran out, then kicked me out even though my tests did not match the "numbers" they said they were looking for.

Taxing junk food is another foolish idea promoted by holier-than-thou people that don't want to take the time to find real solutions to getting people to make better choices.

To murphy1378 re refreshing before posting again.

This system doesn't tell you that your posting has worked...the message stays there--can't you delete it or leave a msg accepted message for the writer. And the 2000 character counter is not right...I ended up writing my message on word to use a counter and I kept editing and cutting but still couldn't get your system to accept/ can you add a character counter in place.  It's great to have a place to share and discuss ideas but it's very frustrating when it's not working right. Thanks.

To murphy1378 re refreshing before posting again.

This system doesn't tell you that your posting has worked...the message stays there--can't you delete it or leave a msg accepted message for the writer. And the 2000 character counter is not right...I ended up writing my message on word to use a counter and I kept editing and cutting but still couldn't get your system to accept/ can you add a character counter in place.  It's great to have a place to share and discuss ideas but it's very frustrating when it's not working right. Thanks.

See...I hit the add comment button but absolutely nothing indicated it's working....I've seen lots of people with mutiple entries of the same thing...it's not the consumer here but a flawed system. 

Hi again av8r115,  I don't think you are getting my point but that's ok.  I hope you do not get a disease that isn't related to your choices...because there are so many out there and without health insurance it's a catastrophe waiting to happen to you.  I didn't want to come off as "holier-than-thou" but just as a person who cares...esp. about the people who don't have resources and don't use their voice.  I see you are anti-government...but there are so many things our government can do so much better to give everyone a good quality of life.  Imagine what would happen if people where no longer scared but happy.  Fear is keeping everyone frozen...afraid of something new ruining what ever security they have left.  They turn to unhealthy choices for comfort. We need to have our country run by people not politicians/corporations, so we may really fix those problems. A country for the people by the peope.

I'm sorry you had bad experiences with docs--unfortunately there are pleanty of them that act that way.  But if money were taken off the table.  If they could do their job without having to worry about justifying every little thing they order for their patients to insurance companies, you would see a dramatic change in how you are treated.  I know because I ran my ass off as a nurse in Med/Surg trying to keep up with my patients...at the same time we were pushed by administration to document more and more.  Many health professionals chose to make their visits with their patients short and were very curt and cut off discussions.  It was because of time...others of us tried to do it all, take the best care of our pts possible and skipped breaks etc to do it all...we took the stress internally and  this creates illness and caregiver burnout.  That's why you see so many Nurse Ratchet personalities.  It's up to you America--you want it all...the great care but without finding a way of funding it.  . 

Insurance shouldn't even be part of the discussion.  Healthcare should be provided as a right of being human...like police, teachers and firefighters. You worry about who will be providing all those jobs if  insurance companies go away--let's train them to actually care for people.  There is a shortage of nurses in our country that is just getting worse as  the workforce retires and ages--the demand will grow. Let's get the nurse/patient ratios to safe levels. Where we can do our jobs effectively and as intended...to work with our patients...teach about their conditions and avoid repeat hospitalizations. Knowledge is power.  But until people decide to educate themselves on what is really going on...I guess we will have to agree to disagree. 

Pollyannapam, I do get your point.  Do you really think you are the only person who has had bad things happen in their life?  Perhaps you would like to discuss child abuse at some point in time or the joke of an education system we have.  I chose to grow up and learn to see the whole picture and not my tiny little part of the world.  I am not anti-government by any stretch of the imagination.  I am FOR government doing what it does best: providing infrastructure, enforcing laws, providing national defense.  What government does not do well is take care of individuals.  No one has a "right" to healthcare, nor a "right" to police protection, an education, or a fire department.  But you do have the right to decide what you will eat, drink , watch, read, and listen to.  Unfortunately, every time people like you try to use the government to force others to live the way you think they should, you take away the freedom that made our country the envy of every other country in the world.  I get your point.  What you're not getting is the ramifications of what you suggest.  I suggest you chop down a few trees because you can't seem to find the forest.