Pro-tax: Can an effective health care plan be created without addressing obesity?

Whether or not you agree with the fat tax, obesity is a growing problem in America--pun intended. These obese related issues don't help our pathetic health care problems either... If Obama thinks that his new health care plan will be effective without addressing America's rapidly growing waist band, then his hope for change will end up trashed. Buried beneath a pile of good intentions along with the thousands of 'get skinny quick' diets America promotes every week.

With $2.3 trillion devoted yearly to health care issues, and $263 billion spent to treat obesity and other ‘over-weight’ related problems, it is no surprise that Americans are looking for a restructured health care situation.

Recent studies show that an estimated 30 percent of the increase in health care spending over the last 20 years can be attributed to the soaring rate of obesity. With nearly a tenth of all the multi-trillion dollar investment every year going into obese related issues, it is something that is not easily overlooked. Yet upon being asked if the existing health care issues would change, Obama stated that if "you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." Which is exactly what America needs to hear to get into shape-- just keep eating what you've been eating. I don't care how much charisma you have, people need motivation to change or they are going to keep getting fatter.

Even if the most efficient health care system was developed and implemented, it would not attribute to confront the rising tide of chronic disease that is directly linked to poor diet without addressing fat tax related issues.

Now I am not proposing that the fat tax is the only way, or even the best way for that matter, to address America's obesity problem. But it is absurd to think that an effective health care plan can be created without addressing America's obesity problem.

There is no magic wand, or quick fix to get healthy or to decrease the amount of spending on obese related issues. If America really wants a health care plan that is going to work, they need to lay off the donuts, ease up on the soda, and do some exercise-- it's not going to kill you.