Dakota Beacon

Federal Obese Police want to collect data, that's all....yeah, that's it, just collect data......

If passed by Congress, a new bill would require private health care providers to measure the "body mass index" (BMI) of 2-18 year-old patients and report the data to state governments who must report the data to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for analysis.

Such a law would be problematic. The probability seems high that Obamacare would one day use the data to tell private citizens what to do with their bodies in order to continue to receive health care. The private sector (insurance companies) taking such steps would be one thing, but government telling people how much the people can weigh in order to receive treatment is quite another matter. Think the practice is unlikely? Think again. According to CNS News:

The Healthy Choices Act--introduced by Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.)… would establish and fund a wide range of programs and regulations aimed at reducing obesity rates by such means as putting nutritional labels on the front of food products, subsidizing businesses that provide fresh fruits and vegetables, and collecting BMI measurements of patients and counseling those that are overweight or obese.

Wonder how long it would be before "counseling" becomes mandating under penalty of lost coverage?

More from CNS:

Section 101 of the bill amends the Public Health Services Act by stating that health care providers must record the Body Mass Index of all children ages 2 through 18. "The provision relates to all children in states that accept grants under the bill," a spokesperson for Rep. Kind told CNSNews.com. "However, it is important to note that no one is forced to come in for a doctor’s visit to get their BMI tested. BMI will be taken at times when the child makes an otherwise scheduled doctor’s visit."

Manipulative on two fronts:

1) If providers take federal dollars, providers must treat patients as the feds demand.

2) If a patient stays away from the system (i.e., doesn't seek medical care) then the patient doesn't get BMI measured and thus has no chance of being told by the feds how much weight to carry. But if the patient seeks care, he or she is in the system and can be dictated to by the feds.

It's curious how the media don't fly into a tizzy when big brother programs like "The Healthy Choices Act" are pushed under a Democrat White House and Congress, but the same media go into turbo-charged rages when the same types of programs are suggested under a Republican Washington.

Click HERE to receive Chuck's work by email FREE

© 2010 Chuck Rogér