New weight loss drugs are out of reach for millions of older Americans because Medicare won't pay
New weight loss drugs are out of reach for millions of older Americans because Medicare won't pay
New obesity drugs are showing promising results in helping some people shed pounds but the injections will remain out of reach for millions.
I feel like there's a hundred other issues higher on the list of things Americans aren't covered for...
58Such as retirement, in general.
Roughly a quarter of the population has a significantly negative net worth (more debt than assets) and another roughly quarter has a zero to slightly negative net worth.
Basically that means a quarter of people will have to survive off of Social Security alone, while making interest payments on their debt. There are not many parts of the country right now where anyone can actually rent an apartment or afford a mortgage payment off of SSI alone, so better hope you already own a home, or you are in a rent controlled apartment.
The significantly indebted quarter of people will basically have to sell everything they own and borrow money from friends and family while still having to make debt payments, all on only Social Security and then they /might/ be able to afford a crap apartment or a spot in an old folks home. Realistically a lot of them wont be able to pull this off and will try to move in with their children or go all in on an RV. Or just become homeless and die.
Oh. Right. Social Security is projected to go bankrupt in about 10 years. And the Republicans might manage to just eliminate it before then.
So uh yeah. The other roughly half of people either have stock market based retirement plans that are sufficient for some kind of actual retirement, or are basically financial try hards who have /some/ ability to comfortably retire based on stocks, but if the stock market does not go up forever, continuously, they will basically join the group of people with functionally zero net worth.
Probably about 70% of the people with any ability to possibly comfortably retire are in the -tenuous- category and 30% range from -confortable- to -have more net worth than many small countries-.
This -tenuous ability to traditionally retire- segment of people will ultimately betray any purported moral or ideological positions they claim to have had their whole lives and do basically anything to ensure that their retirement ability doesnt diminish or disappear, including any kind of austerity / public benefits cutting / tax lowering policy / legalize usury and debt based imprisonment or forced labor / type policy they can find to juice the stock market, which will further fuck over the already less well off group.
The actually well off will continue to laugh a the poors as they historically always have.
America: Fuck you, I got mine. Go off and die now.
18This news article smells more like an ad/paid propaganda. These drugs manufacturers are looking for a new revenue stream.
-1
So great how we'd rather pay for new mass use of experimental drugs than addressing our nations problems with mental health, accessibility of healthy food/lifestyle, and poverty
37We can and should do both.
Besides, being overweight contributes to a lot of other things that are worse. These drugs may contribute to a significant decrease in health services needs.
18Get out of here with that empathy -- there's profit to be made!
What a great system.
4
People shitting on your comment but the majority of Americans should eat less food overall, and change the type of foods, exercise etc. the weight loss drugs do just that, make you eat less and you can do that for free with a little mental discipline
17Is the exercise equipment just out of reach too?
8Only forks are in their reach.
1This is a pretty mean take. 55+ year olds are not going to go bench press.
-9Strawman argument. I never said 55+ years olds need to bench press. Anyone can start exercising simply by walking more.
What's actually mean is that American culture breeds obesity. Most Americans drive rather than walk. They eat shitty food rather than fruits and vegetables. People can pretend to be offended all they want, but it's not going to resolve the issue. Some magical drug isn't the answer. Perseverance and perspiration are.
13
there are ways to do this which are probably better than taking drugs. ancient methods with prehistoric origins lost to time
6Pretty sure famine isn't ancient.
2
Can't cure what won't pay for endless treatments.
5Is the exercise equipment just out of reach too?
-1Life hack: Eat less food to lose weight rather than spending $1300 a month on weight loss drugs.
-7The problem is appetite control is not something you can simply will yourself to have. Being hungry all the time is pretty awful. I'm not saying this is a good alternative, but the whole "just stop eating so much" sounds a hell of a lot easier than it is for many people.
33As someone trying to get insurance to pay for one of these drugs, you've pretty much listed the reason. I spent so long trying to find a pattern but have given up, going back to my childhood I've never felt satiated. I never feel full, so I have to rely on other cues. I can eat a huge meal, of any variety, and I'll still feel hungry after (and during). The only modes my appetite has are "hungry" and "if you don't eat you'll die". I've had various meds "help" in one way or the other but none lasted, and none have changed the sensation of hunger. The thought of not feeling hungry makes me want to cry, it sounds so surreal.
11That's why you can't fix the problem without exercise.
You can justify eating more when you're burning more calories.
When I burn 4000 or 5000 calories in a day, I can eat an unlimited amount of food, and often don't make up the deficit. So, it becomes all-you-can-eat with weight loss.
Also, it's important to note that "being hungry all the time" is a symptom of poor eating habits and undernutrition. A lesson in how to eat is going to help someone more than pills.
2I think the credibility of the argument that "it's not easy to just lose weight" goes down when the contenders for solutions are "more pills" vs. "Lifestyle change".
Its always better to try the non-pill option before deciding the pills are needed. American policies and support structures need massive overall. Even things that seem totally unrelated like more mixed use and walkable city Zoning policies will make Americans more active and less dependent on meds.
-1
Yeah metabolism doesn't work like that. When you eat less your base metabolic rate will go down. It is so much more complicated than just not eating.
-5How dramatically does the base metabolic rate change? Surely you can reduce caloric intake more than base metabolic rate would go down. I restrict my calories with great results, sometimes I'll do a 24 hour fast if I've eaten too much junk and I feel great afterward. I've kept my weight in check for years while restricting caloric intake. This is all diet, since I don't do exercise (I need to get better at that). I can see myself gaining all that weight back if I get into the mindset of "well, I lost that weight, I'm free to enjoy food without restriction again!" It's kind of like sobriety, it takes continual diligence to keep your progress.
2It is not more complicated than that. If you eat less you will lose weight. I was almost 350 lbs after years of eating too much. I decided it was enough and started intermittent fasting. Lost 90 pounds in the first year or two. I did not change my diet, just lowered my calories.
After about a year I hit a wall at 60 pounds lost and wasn't going down anymore. So I just shortened my eating window and started losing again. I've been fasting for about 6 years now and it's completely changed how I handle food. I am able to tell my body when it is and isn't time to eat. I rarely feel hunger anymore.
My 60+ year old father and mother both saw the results I had and started fasting as well. My father has lost more weight than me.
It is as simple as not eating.
2