Q: Will proposed "fat tax" motivate people to lose weight?
A fat tax on Medicaid recipients - the poorest of the poor - who mostly don't have a choice and eat too many carbs (because they are the cheapest) to keep from being hungry??? I'd say Gov. Brewer take another look at this. She probably never had to fight the fat battle in her whole life. Perhaps Medicaid and Medicare recepients should get allowances for fat loss programs! But that would cost the government, this fat tax only contributes to the coffers!
No, this punishes people whose health issues may not be caused by their diet alone. There are other factors in obesity than nutrition alone.
This plan makes it seem that being obese is a black and white issue. But as you point out, there are many factors -- and all of them may not be under our control.
I, for one, was not able to lose weight. My eating was out of control. I was hungry all the time. If it was not for having weight loss surgery, I'd still be morbidly obese. Even today, with a strict deit and exercise, my weight still falls into the overweight category according to the BMI charts.
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It seems a bit underhanded to me. Afterall, when has money stopped people from their vices? Cigarettes are $7 per pack, and it hasn't stopped people from smoking.
And the proposal isn't just about weight. Likewise, charges will apply to smokers, and also to people that have chronic illnesses but fail to manage them accordingly. Imagine, you're obese and have type 2 diabetes. You aren't able to lose weight or have your A1Cs show good glucose control. Gee, would you get doubly taxed as a result?
And wouldn't you know it, it's estimated that this "plan" will recoup nearly half of the state's 1.1 billion budget deficit.