'On yer bike' says Boris...
- Thread starter Uther
- Start date
Well technically part of the cause, exercise is important too even though people could also do with reducing the amount of junk they eat as well.
Quite possibly, stupid thing is that bikes (and motorbokes/scooters) are a massive help to car users in that they recude congestion a lot. Drivers getting annoyed with scooters and motorbikes filtering for example are very short sighted/naive as just a small increase in people using motorbikes like that cuts travel times down massively thanks to shortening queues etc..
Ought to be more awareness of that aspect and perhaps it would cause less friction between car drivers and cyclists, boilers etc..
Yup, people pay more attention when it's acute and urgent. Lots of people in ICUs with Covid are apparently overwegiht or obese (in additoon to being disproportionately old, male and a higher portion relative to the population are BAME too).
We've already got a ticking time bomb of costs re: diabetes and associated issues. I'm in favour of universal health care but I can certainly see why people don't want to shell out for people who just abuse their bodies then cause higher costs and can certainly see the argument for wanting people who deliberately put themselves at risk to have to pay a larger contribution... just as a bad driver who's been involved in multiple accidents needs to pay a higher premium.
What about people who put themselves at risk through sports or other activities. Do they pay more too?
Well, as I say, it's not as simple as that though, is it. I think the clinical term of obesity is based purely on someone's weight, which is quite a simplistic way of doing it. I'm still 27 on the BMI chart, which as me as overweight, but many people tell me not to loose more weight as I'll start to look gaunt.
Having said all that, I get it, you want a nice simple way that will work just fine for 80-90% of people and this does. If my health insurance changed based purely on my BMI I would seriously be considering legal action or something though!
I regularly get my HR above 180bpm, my max is 189.
During lockdown my resting HR has dropped a bit as well, seems to be around 43bpm at the minute. Been doing lots of riding.
They often do buy insurance etc.. but it's not always clear that their overall risk is higher - a sporty outdoor type has some tail risk when say climbing a mountain or going sailing etc.. but overall might well be reducing general risk of needing medical care... especially with regards to common things that occur with age such as heart issues etc..
Sure you could perhaps make the argument about the more extreme mountaineers/rock climbers etc... perhaps though lots of the extreme aspects of those sports take place overseas and with insurance... they're rather a small portion of the population though... like a tiny portion of it. Whereas obesity affects a huge chunk of people.
Some people are so large now the bike would vanish if they tried to sit on it.
But that would be an accident in the process of actually trying to achieve something. Brooming KFC down your throat for years and years isn't. The economy probably makes far more from the sports industry than the NHS spends on injuries, which will be extremely tiny. Obesity only costs us (a lot).
But that would be an accident in the process of actually trying to achieve something. Brooming KFC down your throat for years and years isn't. The economy probably makes far more from the sports industry than the NHS spends on injuries, which will be extremely tiny. Obesity only costs us (a lot).
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It was just an illustration that if you're going to have variable contributions it would have to apply to everyone and everyone would have to have their lifestyle choices analysed.
Diabetes alone (pre-covid) accounts for 20% of NHS budget spend.
If it were up to me NHS contributions would be based on an individual's lifestyle.
Walk less than an average number of steps a day that's an extra £10 a month, smoke that's another £20 a month.
It worked for me years ago me and a friend wanted to join a gym which was for illustration purposes £50 a month.
He found a life insurance company that have free membership to the same gym as long as you visited at least 3 times a week average. That was about £20 a month for the insurance, if you didn't visit the gym the insurance doubled.
Basically I think the more unhealthy a lifestyle you live the more you should contribute to NHS funding.
Also it should definitely not be considered okay to be fat, the same as we don't think it's okay to have diabetes or to smoke.
Walk less than an average number of steps a day that's an extra £10 a month, smoke that's another £20 a month.
It worked for me years ago me and a friend wanted to join a gym which was for illustration purposes £50 a month.
He found a life insurance company that have free membership to the same gym as long as you visited at least 3 times a week average. That was about £20 a month for the insurance, if you didn't visit the gym the insurance doubled.
Basically I think the more unhealthy a lifestyle you live the more you should contribute to NHS funding.
Also it should definitely not be considered okay to be fat, the same as we don't think it's okay to have diabetes or to smoke.
Do you have a source for the 20% figure?
It was half that in 2012 so maybe right.
"Diabetes currently accounts for approximately 10% of the total NHS budget, but this is projected to rise to around 17% by 2035/36."
https://www.nhs.uk/news/diabetes/diabetes-cases-and-costs-predicted-to-rise/#:~:text=Diabetes currently accounts for approximately,17% by 2035/36.
Still a lot though.
Trying to find upto date figures, in 2012 it was 10% of NHS spend, it's gone up since.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/cost-of-diabetes.html
Edit:
Drug costs doubles in 10 years:-
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10301285/obesity-threatens-bankrupt-nhs-prescriptions-diabetes/
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Quite a lot but still wouldn't equate to 20% today.
Thanks, but I'm not sure the drug cost is an indication of the overall cost when it's a relatatively small part of it.
Aye, but it's representative of the way the total cost has balloned more than was predicted in 2012. Been a massive increase in the number of people with type 2 diabetes since then as well.
It was a Panarama type show end of last year that came up with the cost of 20% once they factored in all the other related disorders.
Yeah, I get that - that particular example has positives and minuses. I guess perhaps otherwise healthy bikers (as in motorbikes) could require larger payments etc..
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obesity is often just an age issue - it's kind of like saying 'don't get old if you don't wanna get fat' - iow: not workable
How so? I think it's more a eating too many calories kind of thing.