Part of the problem with writing about obesity and skyrocketing medical care costs is living in Colorado. Readers look around (especially in the Boulder County bubble) and say "What obesity problem? You're imaging it". So I was sort of glad when a friend, who used to say that, came back from a trip, grabbed my arm and said "YOU WERE RIGHT!" She finally saw the light when she tried to enjoy a hot springs pool and was literally crowded out by the obese tourists. A family member returned from a trip to Ohio and said "Wow, you're right!" after sitting in the Columbus airport for an hour and looking around at the other passengers. And now again we have another report (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124644771619779241.html#articleTabs%3Darticle)showing that obesity rates rose in 23 states in the past year and didn't decrease anywhere. Even in our very own smugly lean Colorado, the rate is almost 20%, not to mention another 20-30% who are overweight.
Even worse, the rate is higher among 55-64 year-olds, the group entering Medicare years. With studies showing that obese Medicare patients cost $1400-$6000 more per year than normal weight people, the future for socialized medical care is either severe rationing or massive tax hikes to cover the costs. Obese people live longer thanks to drugs that suppress symptoms of chronic disease, but they are much sicker and require much more expensive treatment like joint replacements, dialysis and diabetes care.
And again, the Democrats' socialized medical plan will do nothing to stop this. The plan is about giving out free treatment, not about eliminating the source of all the costs. Building more bike paths is nice, but even in saintly Boulder County there are plenty of people who never bother using them because they just can't be bothered. They have no incentive. Make obesity expensive and they'll have an incentive. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen under the Democrats.
If anything, we'll have more of what a UK researcher recently warned about: the normalization of obesity (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8123741.stm). With more obese TV actors and celebrities in the media spotlight, viewers start to internalize the belief that excess weight is normal. If everyone looks like that, then it can't be a problem. With the childhood obesity rate climbing as well (almost half of children in Mississippi are overweight or obese), children are growing up thinking the same thing. Excess weight is normal; there's no need to change; all my friends look like that. If the recent movie "Up" is any indication, even animated film studios are capitalizing on this marketing trend: if you feature chubby kids, your audience will relate to your movie. Maybe they won't feel bad about buying that jumbo popcorn and super-sized drink either.
So if summer travel takes you anywhere outside of Boulder County(or Beverly Hills or lower Manhattan), open your eyes and look around you. The New Normal is obesity. Thin and fit is now the exception.