Obesity and Obamacare

The latest faux outrage over Obamacare is liable to start as the wingnuts wax rhapsodic about the virtues of "freedom fries" and how Obama is going to take your fat away.  This latest example of nanny statism derives from some rules in the legislation which will allow employers and insurers to disincentivize people by either charging extra for those with excessive weight, or by providing rewards for weight loss and excercise.  The average person would probably say what's not to like about a program which mandates a healthy lifestyle.   As with all programs, governmental and otherwise, the devil is again in the details.  Who decides what dietary and excercise choices are correct and will be rewarded and which will be penalized.   As with so many other lifestyle choices we make as individuals, our place in the economic hierarchy dictates many of the outcomes, regardless of what we think.   For every Chris Christie who has every monetary and societal advantage and yet remains a somewhat unrepenetant fattie, there are probably 50  Honey Boo Boos who through an accident of birth into the lower economic strata of society will never have the opportunity to make the healthy choices which will enable them to get or stay thinner.  We as a society must have a debate about food; the quality and quantity of which is making us a sicker and less fit nation.  If Obamacare is ever going to bend the cost curve of healthcare, all of us need to be educated and enabled to eat better quality food and get enough excercise to stay healthy.  These are the issues that need to be debated.