Tea Party movement being cynically manipulated.

[Stringer_Bell]

If health care is mandatory, i will be one of many pe ioning that people get taxed for their controllable conditions.

How about a tax based on an added percentage past a certain BMI?

That's what I was thinking too, but I think the adults are too hard to change and it would cause a lot more unhappiness than helpfulness. The best thing to do is punish lazy parents for having fat kids until they are 18, which trains the kids into becoming adults that realize that there's consequences for being fat pieces of .

[Wild Cobra]

which trains the kids into becoming adults that realize that there's consequences for being fat pieces of .

LOL...

You mean besides being a fat piece of ?

[boutons_deux]

If health care is mandatory, i will be one of many pe ioning that people get taxed for their controllable conditions.

How about a tax based on an added percentage past a certain BMI?

BMI is famously unreliable.

A composite score of several health indicators is my preference.

I think fat percentage is better than BMI.

There could also be some functional/performance tests run once/year. minutes to run one mile. a treadmill test. lung capacity.

Also, blood and urine tests could also measured, glucose, tryglycerides, BP, stress hormones.

I wouldn't have a system of penalties or taxes for being in the bad range, but serious discounts on mandated public option health insurance.

Everybody pays 100% of a percentage of their earned income. If you have no earned income, but have unearned income, that's your basis (no cap).

Then as you increase your health composite score, you get x% off your health premium. The discounts must be serious to motivate optional participation in the discount scheme, like up to 50%.

Of course, this will never happen because the measurements are too complex, too many people will game the system making anti-gaming tactics too burdensome, and corps will of course corrupt the govt people designing the system.

And of course, the corrupt legislators would never have enough responsibility nor hold the nation's well-being above their own campaign contributors' profits. Self-inflicted disease is a huge industry and that industry owns Congress.

Anyway, the tea party is a bunch of naive fools to think they can change anything.

[Wild Cobra]

BMI is famously unreliable.

There are three methods of BMI measurements I am aware of. One is unreliable, another good, the third is rteasonably accurate.

A composite score of several health indicators is my preference.

Like preexisting conditions too?

I think fat percentage is better than BMI.

What do you think BMI is? It's exactly that. What matters is the accuracy of the measurement style.

There could also be some functional/performance tests run once/year. minutes to run one mile. a treadmill test. lung capacity.

Like an annual military PT test?

Also, blood and urine tests could also measured, glucose, tryglycerides, BP, stress hormones.

Yes..

At the same time, I'll bet the government checks for amphetamines, marijuana, alcohol, etc.

They love building data bases.

I wouldn't have a system of penalties or taxes for being in the bad range, but serious discounts on mandated public option health insurance.

With the concept of laws that pay for themselves, shouldn't the riskier people pay more? I don't get it. You favor subsidizing the healthy, but not the unhealthy?

While you're at it, shouldn't we tax the productive people less and tax the less productive more, giving them incentive to work better?

Everybody pays 100% of a percentage of their earned income. If you have no earned income, but have unearned income, that's your basis (no cap).

Don't we do that with medicare? So you are in favor of raising medicare rates i take it?

Then as you increase your health composite score, you get x% off your health premium. The discounts must be serious to motivate optional participation in the discount scheme, like up to 50%.

Lets do the the same thing with out income tax system. The healtier you are for the economy, the l3ss you get taxed. If you don't want something, tax it, right? If you want less rich people tax them. instead, we want less poor people, so let's tax the instead. OK?

Of course, this will never happen because the measurements are too complex, too many people will game the system making anti-gaming tactics too burdensome, and corps will of course corrupt the govt people designing the system.

Measurements are easy if you use the right methodology.

And of course, the corrupt legislators would never have enough responsibility nor hold the nation's well-being above their own campaign contributors' profits. Self-inflicted disease is a huge industry and that industry owns Congress.

No, self inflicted harm is what people do to themselves. The evil corporations only sell what the people want to buy. Don't blame the evil corporations, but the lack of people's self control.

wait. i forget. You want a nanny state where the government tells people what they can and cannot do.

Sorry, my bad.

Anyway, the tea party is a bunch of naive fools to think they can change anything.

Doesn't look so foolish to me. they seem to have a pretty wide impact, and people like you have their panties all bunched up over their success so far.