Doctors Refusing to Treat Overweight Patients

From the Article:

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Fifteen obstetrics-gynecology practices out of 105 polled by the Sun Sentinel said they have set weight limits for new patients. Some of the doctors said the main reason was their exam tables or other equipment can't handle people over a certain weight, butat least six said heavy women run a higher risk of complications

Link to Full Article HERE

I think that as I type this (or as you read this) the politicians are already coming up with plans to tax fat people.

My prediction: Fat people will be the next "smokers."

Lol wtf?

Doctor doctor I haz a problem!!! help me!

*doctor analyzes patient up and down*

Doctor: ......

They don't want to risk being sued. That's fine.

That's simply wrong. There's gotta be an issue with the Hippocratic Oath when doctors simply refuse to see a certain type of patient.Theokhoth

Good, morbidly obese people are a drain on resources. Fix that first.

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]That's simply wrong. There's gotta be an issue with the Hippocratic Oath when doctors simply refuse to see a certain type of patient.YellowOneKinobi

They don't want to risk being sued. That's fine.

Necrifer

[QUOTE="Necrifer"]

They don't want to risk being sued. That's fine.

Theokhoth

Not true. There's nothing wrong with minimizing risks. There's certain clients we let go at this company because their business actually LOSES us money, or causes us so many issues it's not worth their business.

Part of owning a business is calculating the most likely path to profit. And fat people apparently aren't worth the payment.

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"][QUOTE="Necrifer"]

They don't want to risk being sued. That's fine.

UltimoIce

Not true. There's nothing wrong with minimizing risks. There's certain clients we let go at this company because their business actually LOSES us money, or causes us so many issues it's not worth their business.

Part of owning a business is calculating the most likely path to profit. And fat people apparently aren't worth the payment.

Hmm...refusing medical treatment on that basis could invite discrimination lawsuits, especially if any of those refused patitents are overweight due to glandular problems (and not overeating).

Not to mention overweight people have a harder time getting pregnant/cant get pregnant, there are complications such as epigenetics for these obese people as well. If I were a doctor, I might not want to help an obese person have a child due to the risk of the grandchild (the child of the baby) having a higher risk of obesity and lower quality of life.

I bet that and the business reasonings are parts of the reasoning behind these decisions.

Hmm...refusing medical treatment on that basis could invite discrimination lawsuits, especially if any of those refused patitents are overweight due to glandular problems (and not overeating).

topsemag55

The population that are at risk due to metabolic disorders are about 5%, so that means the other ~ 80% of the obese population in Florida (using the CDC map for obesity in 2009) are all due to food secruity, gluttony, social circumstances, etc. Not to mention 2/3s of the US are now overweight/obese, so that means that it's not discriminating against that many people. Unfortunately the obesity epidemic is making those with metabolic disorders seem like they are lazy, lumping them with everyone else.

Hmm...refusing medical treatment on that basis could invite discrimination lawsuits, especially if any of those refused patitents are overweight due to glandular problems (and not overeating).

topsemag55

It's still all the bad oils she is ingesting into her body, if she cut down on fatty oils she would have the problem in the first place.

Good, morbidly obese people are a drain on resources. Fix that first.

UltimoIce

Morbidly obese people aren't the cause of the healthcare crisis... That would be old people.

And the only way to fix that is to kill all old people.

[QUOTE="UltimoIce"]

Good, morbidly obese people are a drain on resources. Fix that first.

Buttons1990

Morbidly obese people aren't the cause of the healthcare crisis... That would be old people.

And the only way to fix that is to kill all old people.

and the problem is......?

That's simply wrong. There's gotta be an issue with the Hippocratic Oath when doctors simply refuse to see a certain type of patient.Theokhoth

Nope. And for that matter doctors, contrary to popular belief, are under no legal obligation to ever recite such oath as a condition of their license. Also, the Hippocratic Oath itself is petty much archaic, and terribly outdated, and when taken at face value would prohibit doctors from preforming surgeries. Some medical universities have, however, adopted a modernized oath.

[QUOTE="Buttons1990"]

[QUOTE="UltimoIce"]

Good, morbidly obese people are a drain on resources. Fix that first.

SoBaus

Morbidly obese people aren't the cause of the healthcare crisis... That would be old people.

And the only way to fix that is to kill all old people.

and the problem is......?

Other than killing 30% of the population, no problem at all.

Well, I don't think I could blame any gynecologist on that...Jazz_Fan

I agree :shock:

[QUOTE="SoBaus"]

[QUOTE="Buttons1990"]

Morbidly obese people aren't the cause of the healthcare crisis... That would be old people.

And the only way to fix that is to kill all old people.

Buttons1990

and the problem is......?

Other than killing 30% of the population, no problem at all.

meh all my grandparents met very ignoble ends, i do not envy them. I think at age 70 we should all cage fight a grizzly bear... if you you lose, its a noble death. If you win, you instantly become the dictator of the world.

meh all my grandparents met very ignoble ends, i do not envy them. I think at age 70 we should all cage fight a grizzly bear... if you you lose, its a noble death. If you win, you instantly become the dictator of the world.

SoBaus

I fully support this plan.

[QUOTE="SoBaus"]

meh all my grandparents met very ignoble ends, i do not envy them. I think at age 70 we should all cage fight a grizzly bear... if you you lose, its a noble death. If you win, you instantly become the dictator of the world.

Necrifer

I fully support this plan.

Let me know when you are going to begin this. I need to profit on it. I will start asap with the school of world dictatorship. From an early age I will train your kids everything they know to be a dictator, from world politics, to finances, to fighting a bear with your hands.

I will make millions.

Overweight people incur more medical costs and thus drive up the insurance premiums for everyone else. I don't think refusing to treat them is right, but I think it's hypocritical that their obesity affects other people as well, and yet every time anyone tries to do anything about obesity everyone gets into an uproar about it.

[QUOTE="Necrifer"]

[QUOTE="SoBaus"]

meh all my grandparents met very ignoble ends, i do not envy them. I think at age 70 we should all cage fight a grizzly bear... if you you lose, its a noble death. If you win, you instantly become the dictator of the world.

UltimoIce

I fully support this plan.

Let me know when you are going to begin this. I need to profit on it. I will start asap with the school of world dictatorship. From an early age I will train your kids everything they know to be a dictator, from world politics, to finances, to fighting a bear with your hands.

I will make millions.

well i think we have a grassroots movement right here, now we just need to elect me to the highest political office of every country so i can enact this policy.

[QUOTE="UltimoIce"]

Good, morbidly obese people are a drain on resources. Fix that first.

Buttons1990

Morbidly obese people aren't the cause of the healthcare crisis... That would be old people.

And the only way to fix that is to kill all old people.

You can help being obese, you can't help being old. Besides, obesity only furthers complications with old age. It increases health risks, it complicates existing health risks, it often leads to a shut-in lifestyle which just makes things worse, and it makes medical costs skyrocket. Believe me, I had two relatives who were extremely obese in their old age, they both had enormous medical bills, and they both died fairly young. If we're talking about people so obese they can't even sit on a medical bench without breaking it, I mean we just keep pushing th limits on how fat we're getting, it's ridiculous.

[QUOTE="Buttons1990"]

[QUOTE="UltimoIce"]

Good, morbidly obese people are a drain on resources. Fix that first.

theone86

Morbidly obese people aren't the cause of the healthcare crisis... That would be old people.

And the only way to fix that is to kill all old people.

You can help being obese, you can't help being old. Besides, obesity only furthers complications with old age. It increases health risks, it complicates existing health risks, it often leads to a shut-in life****which just makes things worse, and it makes medical costs skyrocket. Believe me, I had two relatives who were extremely obese in their old age, they both had enormous medical bills, and they both died fairly young. If we're talking about people so obese they can't even sit on a medical bench without breaking it, I mean we just keep pushing th limits on how fat we're getting, it's ridiculous.

Do people not realize that doctors will already deny treating patients for various reasons?

This really isn't that surprising. I work at a nursing home so I have gotten to see first hand how things like this can happen.

Insurance is usually the biggest culprit. If you don't have insurance to cover costs, you are SOL. The insurance companies are great too because if they find you are actually walking while still at your rehab center, they will immediately stop paying for the treatment getting you kicked out, even if the therapists still feel you need more therapy.

If there is a big risk in taking a patient then that is another thing that might keep them from being brought to our facility. Right now, because we are awaiting another review from the State inspectors to get cleared this year, there is a chance that a person we take in might not have their costs covered from medicaid or whatever as if we were to somehow FAIL the inspection (which I don't see happening, but still) then medicaid will NOT cover any costs for any patients we take in at this time. This means that people with a TON of meds or other serious cost factors likely won't be borught in now in case we don't pass.

Also, I cannot imagine how hard it is for someone who has sued a previous doctor to get treatment...

[QUOTE="theone86"]

[QUOTE="Buttons1990"]

Morbidly obese people aren't the cause of the healthcare crisis... That would be old people.

And the only way to fix that is to kill all old people.

YellowOneKinobi

You can help being obese, you can't help being old. Besides, obesity only furthers complications with old age. It increases health risks, it complicates existing health risks, it often leads to a shut-in life****which just makes things worse, and it makes medical costs skyrocket. Believe me, I had two relatives who were extremely obese in their old age, they both had enormous medical bills, and they both died fairly young. If we're talking about people so obese they can't even sit on a medical bench without breaking it, I mean we just keep pushing th limits on how fat we're getting, it's ridiculous.

My guess is it would be cheaper for those who died at 50, but that is REALLY young. The relatives I'm speaking of actually lived into their 70s, I guess they were pretty close to the national average actually, but they're still young compared to some of my other relatives. Another relative of mine, for instance, is in his 80s and hasn't incurred the same costs as either of the two who died in their 70s. His costs have grown, sure, but he has taken very good care of himself throughout his life, eaten right, exercised up until recently when it became harder, and therefore has had far fewer complications. I guess the scary part to take away from this is that not every obese person dies in their 50s, many live to around the national average which means those people who comprise that average could be as unhealthy as my two relatives were.

That's simply wrong. There's gotta be an issue with the Hippocratic Oath when doctors simply refuse to see a certain type of patient.Theokhoth

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]That's simply wrong. There's gotta be an issue with the Hippocratic Oath when doctors simply refuse to see a certain type of patient.foxhound_fox

I don't think that's fair. I'm sure there are doctors who are just after the money, but there are lots of doctors who want to help people too. And remember, we are really only talking about a handful of doctors here. It's a gross overgeneralization to say ALL doctors would do the same thing.Martel100