As I continue to dig through the Senate budget proposal, I came across an interesting section entitled the "Public Health Improvement Plan." (page 64)
Whenever I hear government using the word "plan," red flags immediately go up. It seems our state leaders want to develop a "five-year Public Health Improvement Plan." (what is it about politicians and five-year plans?)
Part of the plan involves replacing the current formula used by the HHS to dispense state funds to Local Health Districts (LHD's) with a new "flexible spending formula" to determine how much money each local district will receive. This flexible formula includes a number of measures so that the state can track "health improvement" in each district – and presumptively adjust each district's share of state money accordingly.
The measures include typical demographic and health indicators such as population, per capita income, teenage pregnancy, cancer, etc. But one indicator caught my attention: Body Mass Index (BMI) of public school students.
So now school kids not only get to look forward to picture day at school every year, now they get to enjoy "pinch an inch" day as well!
How embarrassing for children, adolescents nearing puberty, and teens to be subjected to a school official ordering them to step on the scale. Will these weigh-ins be done in front of other students? For a really accurate BMI, will the children be poked and prodded to measure their body fat? Will parents be sent a note a week in advance telling them to starve their children so that the school can get better results? Will the kids be forced to strip down for a more accurate reading?
As if young girls don't already have enough body image issues as it is, now their weight will be recorded by school bureaucrats. As the father of two daughters, this is especially troubling.
Forcing children onto a scale in front of strangers (who aren't even the child's doctor) to satisfy some government "spending formula" is disgusting and exemplifies the dark side of the nanny state to the highest order.
This instance provides yet more insight of what is to come under government-run health care.
If everyone is paying, even your child's weight becomes a matter of public
concern.
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