Regulate This!

I was listening to a report on the radio the other day about health care costs, reform, and proposals to rein in the ever increasing expense. One of the suggestions was obese patients pay a premium for their care.

As I drove along I passed a gas station situated at the crossroads of here and nowhere. Out front was a large sign that read "We now serve fresh pizza!" That got me to thinking: In the interest of cost and patient health, the government regulates all manner of health services, from the safety of medication to the number of available hospital beds per capita. Cancer centers, hospitals, diagnostic centers-- it's all closely regulated in the public interest. So, how is it, a gas station in the middle of nowhere-- and yet across the street from a bowling alley that serves pizza; and less than a mile from another great little pizza place-- why is it the production of hi-fat, hi-carb, hi-sodium pizza has no regulation? How is it that, in our obese nation, a kid under the age of 18 can walk into a McDonalds and buy a Big Mac, large fries, and a Coke? Diabetics can choose to drive up and say, "Double double, large fries, and a chocolate shake. Oh! And a Diet Coke." Similarly, how is it we offer no regulation on the density of fast food joints where, in some small towns at least, they stand 3, 4, and more in a row?

I can't say I'm a huge supporter of government extending it's regulatory fingers into every single aspect of American life (not that they don't already), I'm just saying if obesity is a national tragedy, and the cost associated with treating the effects of obesity is adding significantly to the astronomical financial burden of healthcare, why do we continue to tolerate and support our unregulated fast food industry? Why can we have pizza available every 50 feet or even every 2 miles? Why do we tolerate an environment where, at least in many cities, a person really can't drive more than a full minute without seeing another fast food logo standing 50 feet in the air-- drive thru open late.

All of this is to say it's pretty hard to start pointing fingers and calling names when it comes to discerning why healthcare in America is so expensive just as much as it is to say why Americans are getting so big. Bad health choices are affordable and widely available-- from the Hamburger Helper aisle to the dollar menu meal deals spaced 50 feet apart. I'm just not at all certain charging obese people a premium (for their pre-existing condition) is a reasonable idea. Seems it's kinda like raising the cost of a gun license in hopes of eliminating gun crime. Fat chance.