Why give fat people handicap placards!

Why would Doctors give obese people handicap placards and scooters, they are the ones that need to walk the most.  Maybe we should invent remote parking placards to give patients so they have to park near the street and walk a ¼ mile to go shopping.  I am not trying to be insensitive here but obesity is killing our healthcare system and we need to stand up and fight it and not give people a free pass on personal responsibility.  I know I have not walked in the shoes of an obese person but I have been overweight, and I also know that individuals should make dietary changes to improve their own health.  The problem today is we provide medication and scooters and ignore the source of the problem.  I will not accept that obesity is incurable or hereditary or whatever else you want to claim.  When people say obesity is hereditary, they are overlooking the fact that if the kids eat like the obese parents then they will be obese as well, it is not hereditary, and it is a taught behavior and a bad one at that!  Yes, there may be the occasional rare exception but it is not the problem for the majority.

If someone does not want to be called fat then they should change it.  I am tired of hearing that it is not their fault, well actually it is!  Accept it; acknowledge it and then you can change it.  I know this is a rant and I may offend a few people but I am sick and tired of our country excusing people’s bad behavior and then spending my money to pay for the obese person medication, or surgeries or whatever it is they need.

If we tell obese people to that they MUST make changes before they can get healthcare then we are starting to address the problem.  If someone were unwilling to make any personal changes then why on earth would we give them a handicap placard, medication to hide their symptoms and let them remain fat!  There is something sinister about giving people medication without addressing the issue, we need to help these people make changes if they do not want to change then we should call them lazy!

Obesity is growing at an astronomical rate and our healthcare system cannot sustain the care required to deal with the all the health issues around obesity.  Why should Americans who take responsibility for their own health have to pay for the healthcare of someone who is lazy or unwilling to make changes?

I hear people all the time say “I know what I need to do but I just do not want to.”  Well if the Doctor I will not help you until you change then they would be sued or lose their medical license.  Here in lies the problem, the healthcare profession is not equipped and may lack the knowledge to help many of their own patients.  It is consider cruel to tell a person they have to make changes before they can receive medication.  Do you give an alcoholic a drink because they want it?

Let’s look at it this way – if a person smokes, gets lung cancer and wants treatment BUT refuses to quit smoking then maybe we should just let them be sick and dying until they really want to change.

Here is my offer: if you want to change, if you do not know what you need to do then ask!  I have always been willing to help others change and make informed decisions.  I am willing to jump in and help, are you willing to listen and make changes?