No, not John Dillinger. Obesity. Yup. I hate to keep harping on this subject, but it seems people are not listening. I've already posted about how the US military views obesity as our biggest national security threat, and we know that to meaningfully address healthcare in this country, we need to address the obesity epidemic NOW. ( Please, leave Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative alone.It's a good thin- even Mike Huckleberry, uh, Huckabee agrees.) First, people need to recognize the problem. A recent study showed that of overweight moms with overweight kids, close to half believe their child's weight is normal. Furthermore, in 1980, no state had an obesity rate over 15%, and the highest combined rate of overweight/obese was 25%. Today, 68% of Americans are overweight or obese. And the fastest growing portion of our population, Latinos have the most rapidly growing obesity problem. And they are the group with the lowest rate of health insurance. Apart from lost productivity, heart problems, and musculoskeletal issues, diabetes is a huge threat to our country's well-being. Today, there are 26 million diabetics in the U.S. 57 million are pre-diabetic, and 7 million of those do not even know it. Most diabetic complications are not reversible. Considering that in 2007 total healthcare costs of diabetes was $174 billion, just think what the costs will be if the number of diabetics basically triples. Not good. And healthcare costs of a diabetic are two times as high as those for non-diabetics. It's in our hands. 80% of Type II Diabetes is developed through poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. Diabetics shorten their lifespan by 6 years. John Dillinger: "We're having too good a time today. We ain't thinking about tomorrow."
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