The Dismantling of ObamaCare - Ongoing Updates.

[VolAgent]

Here is some food for thought about the "enablers"... start taxing the hell out of the corn syrup and sugar industry. Thats whats really behind the rise in heart disease and diabetes, corn syrup and refined sugar.

Make it more expensive to make crap food than to make nutritious food. Its not a "now" fix, but it would be an effective part of a long term solution.

Or maybe give the same amount of subsidies to growers and importers of fresh fruits and vegetables, as they do the corn and sugar industries. It will drop the price of fresh nutritious food so that it is more accessible to lower income citizens.

Our government has used our tax dollars to make unhealthy food the cheapest option on the market. And it has screwed this nations health and its national debt.

Philly has already done it with soda/soft drinks/pop/pick your local phrase. 1.5 cents per ounce, so a 2 liter has roughly a dollar in taxes added to it. Retailers are already complaining as shoppers have started going to the suburbs, not just for soft drinks but for the majority of their shopping as well. It does appear the amount of tax generated has already surpassed expectations.

Soda Tax Defies Predictions With $5.7M In Revenue, City Officials Say « CBS Philly

But I agree, why are we subsidizing sugar or refined corn syrup, assuming we still are.

 

[somarco]

Utilization has been, and probably always will be the primary driver behind health care.

Even with today's high deductibles, many plans still have copay's and "free" stuff. So many things are covered by health insurance that never should be. It's almost like an all you can eat buffet.

When you compare "routine" care that is covered by insurance with things such as vision, dental, cosmetic and laser vision correction there is a noticeable difference in inflation of items covered vs non-covered care.

Even with the prevalence of dental insurance in most cases the patient is paying the lions share of treatment.

Some places advertise dentures for $1,000. Eye wear stores will sell you two pair and a "free" eye exam for $69.

When insurance pays 80% of the cost (as it does on average) the patient has very little skin in the game and over-utilize.

 

[scagnt83]

Philly has already done it with soda/soft drinks/pop/pick your local phrase. 1.5 cents per ounce, so a 2 liter has roughly a dollar in taxes added to it. Retailers are already complaining as shoppers have started going to the suburbs, not just for soft drinks but for the majority of their shopping as well. It does appear the amount of tax generated has already surpassed expectations.

Soda Tax Defies Predictions With $5.7M In Revenue, City Officials Say « CBS Philly

But I agree, why are we subsidizing sugar or refined corn syrup, assuming we still are.

Its way more than just sugary drinks. Corn Syrup is in so much of our food now.
Breads & baked goods
Crackers
Deli Meats
Peanut Butter
Cereals (even "healthy ones"... lots of packaged and flavored oatmeal has it too)
Salad dressings (at least 90% if not more)
Sauces & Condiments (like pasta sauce, ketchup or artificial mayo)
Jams & Jellies
Canned Soups
Even some canned tomatoes will add it

If you read ingredient labels on a regular basis you will see that is is in literally every isle of the grocery store. And if its not corn syrup, its refined white sugar. It is a constant battle for me to find food items that do not have high fructose corn syrup. Especially if im at a "normal" grocery store, and not Whole Paycheck or the Fresh Market.


And it is not that we subsidize corn syrup directly. But we subsidize corn. And that whole industry is completely out of hand. Food subsidies were meant to provide food safety to US Citizens. Corn Subsidies do nothing but artificially support the Ethanol and Corn Syrup industries. Its crony capitalism at its finest... and at the expense of this nations health.

 

[VolAgent]

Its way more than just sugary drinks. Corn Syrup is in so much of our food now.
Breads & baked goods
Crackers
Deli Meats
Peanut Butter
Cereals (even "healthy ones"... lots of packaged and flavored oatmeal has it too)
Salad dressings (at least 90% if not more)
Sauces & Condiments (like pasta sauce, ketchup or artificial mayo)
Jams & Jellies
Canned Soups
Even some canned tomatoes will add it

If you read ingredient labels on a regular basis you will see that is is in literally every isle of the grocery store. And if its not corn syrup, its refined white sugar. It is a constant battle for me to find food items that do not have high fructose corn syrup. Especially if im at a "normal" grocery store, and not Whole Paycheck or the Fresh Market.


And it is not that we subsidize corn syrup directly. But we subsidize corn. And that whole industry is completely out of hand. Food subsidies were meant to provide food safety to US Citizens. Corn Subsidies do nothing but artificially support the Ethanol and Corn Syrup industries. Its crony capitalism at its finest... and at the expense of this nations health.

I realize that, which is why I explicitly said soft drinks.

I can only imagine how big a pile it would be if you put together all the sugar, corn syrup and salt that is added to processed foods.

Crony capitalism for farmers is nothing new in this country. It goes all the way back to the Whiskey Rebellion and probably further than that.

 

[goillini52]

Sounds like a Conspiracy Theory.

 

[scagnt83]

I realize that, which is why I explicitly said soft drinks.

I can only imagine how big a pile it would be if you put together all the sugar, corn syrup and salt that is added to processed foods.

Crony capitalism for farmers is nothing new in this country. It goes all the way back to the Whiskey Rebellion and probably further than that.

I didnt catch on to the sarcasm... Im slow on the uptake today. You shouldve used an emoji in the original post like a normal person (jk)

 

[VolAgent]

I didnt catch on to the sarcasm... Im slow on the uptake today. You shouldve used an emoji in the original post like a normal person (jk)

It wasn't sarcasm, as much as just a concrete example of a city taking action. Yes, it is broader than just soft drinks but it is a start.

 

[scagnt83]

It wasn't sarcasm, as much as just a concrete example of a city taking action. Yes, it is broader than just soft drinks but it is a start.

To me that is more politics than action. A serious law would target staple foods, not just drinks.

Also, if it produced double the revenue that was expected... that means it only reduced sales by half of what they originally expected.

I do agree that we have to start somewhere. And part of it is public perception and education. So perhaps that is just how it has to realistically start.

But it will remain just a symbolic action until the bread, deli meat, cheese, and tomatoes on the sandwich you eat no longer has high fructose corn syrup... or artificial sweeteners... along with your drink.

Taxing the consumer at the retail level is ineffective. If you regulate at the producer level, those harmful products never get into the food to begin with. That is the real issue.

Same thing with Health Insurance and Health Care. They want to do "spot fixes" at the retail/consumer level of the transaction. But are doing zero to address the real problems that will actually put things on the right path in the long run.

 

[VolAgent]

To me that is more politics than action. A serious law would target staple foods, not just drinks.

Also, if it produced double the revenue that was expected... that means it only reduced sales by half of what they originally expected.

I do agree that we have to start somewhere. And part of it is public perception and education. So perhaps that is just how it has to realistically start.

But it will remain just a symbolic action until the bread, deli meat, cheese, and tomatoes on the sandwich you eat no longer has high fructose corn syrup... or artificial sweeteners... along with your drink.

Taxing the consumer at the retail level is ineffective. If you regulate at the producer level, those harmful products never get into the food to begin with. That is the real issue.

My only response would be, never criticize someone who is willing to take a step in the direction you want to go because they didn't go far enough. It may only be a step, it may even just be symbolic, but it is something. Instead encourage and promote that behavior.

 

[bluemarlin08]

Leave the government out of planning what I eat. We should eat what we want without politicians butting in.