10% of NHS budget is spent on t2 diabetes vast majority is self inflicted, aibu to think they should contribute?

[Lauranda]

Its estimated that the cost will go up 17% by 2020. Something needs to change or the NHS will collapse.

Maybe make people that are overweight pay something towards their treatment would in courage people to eat better and exercise more.

I don't agree that we should charge fat people extra to use the health service. Partly because I'm fat myself, as is dd, dmil, dfil, dsil and dbil. Also because it's inhumane.

Three of my inlaws are morbidly obese. Between the three of them they have severe hypertension, diabetes, stroke, a pace-maker, and long term problems related to botched abdominal surgery made more complex by large amounts of abdominal fat. Between just MIL and FIL I think they've clocked up hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of NHS treatment.

The health service WILL collapse under the strain of caring for the growing numbers of fat elderly people who tend to have more, more complex, and longer term health problems than old people of normal weight.

I don't know what to suggest. I think we just have to accept that the growing levels of obesity and an ageing population will finish off a public health system which is already creaking under the pressure.

I'm nearly a normal BMI now because I'm dieting. The biggest motivator for me is not wanting to be part of the problem that will finish off the NHS. I think trying to be slim and fit is a public duty in a country with a publicly funded NHS.

Love that the OP is only reading responding to the bits of comments that agree with her. Not much of a AIBU if you don't engage dear.

Or AIBU?

Of course it's true that people have a genetic predisposition to developing type 2 diabetes.

But being massively overweight makes this much more likely.

In Mexico nearly 1 in 3 adults is now obese. Not just overweight - obese.

And diabetes is the primary cause of death in women. :-(

14% of Mexicans have or are developing type 2 diabetes (ie have high glucose levels).

It's an epidemic, and we're not far behind. Very, very worrying for anyone who lives in a country with a publicly funded health system.

I paid NI and worked until I became too ill to work full time, I will be chronically ill for the rest of my life. (Not self inflicted, just very bad luck and genetics.) Between the medication, immobility and depression that comes with 24 hour pain and the stress involved, I am now overweight. If it helps, I hate myself for it. I am just about managing to support myself financially. I could not afford to pay for my medical care, I just would have to do without it. Long life ahead? I seriously hope not, and it's not too likely. So I shouldn't be too much of a burden on anyone else.

So as one of the fattys laying on a sofa a lot of the time, I can spare you a

Obviously it is a daft idea but unfortunately the NHS does not have endless amounts of money. It is being stretched to breaking point and diabetes is a major part of the problem along with everyone living longer.
People who get hysterical and say everything should be free are dilusional and burying their heads in the sand. Money doesn't grow on trees.
Something will have to change in the future. It can't go on like this. I don't like the American system either - which costs more per head because once you go private everything suddenly costs more. People get more unnecessary tests etc.
I don't envy the politicians the task of sorting it out and whatever they do they will get it in the neck.

I think it is very difficult when you have a condition, I have bad osteoarthritis in my knee (amongst a myriad of other conditions) and so have limited mobility, the only way to not gain weight is to really restrict my diet. By doing this I have not gained weight despite not being able to exercise. I think this is something that most people would not be willing to do

So weight gain with a health condition doesn't have to be inevitable

What an ignorant knee jerk reaction, OP.
How about we make all old people contribute for their healthcare, over and above the lifetime contributions they've already made. The elderly are the biggest drain on the nhs. If they can't pay they don't get treated and nature takes care of the rest. That's how ridiculous your AIBU is.

Is it still half term?

The elderly are indeed the biggest drain on the NHS. Especially the obese ones who are growing in number.

The three obese 70+ year olds I know have multiple and complex health issues. I do know many slim and fit older people in their 70's and 80's who are still active and are not on 15 different medications a day.

Obesity impacts most greatly on the health of older people.

you can get lifelong thyroid conditions without having children i got mine 15 months before i even got pregnant mine is graves disease which is not considered lifelong (although ive had it for 16 years) i pay for my prescriptions i get sicker than everyone else as ive a compromised immune system i need a massive amount of NHS help

apparently it was most likely caused by working 3 jobs and paying lots in taxes although it might have happened anyway stress is a major factor

should i have stayed on the dole because of my "risk" of getting graves disease? all of my family has thyroid problems including my sister who has never had children she takes thyroxine as hers is under

Surely if someone is in a care home their access to food is restricted, therefore they should lose weight. Or do homes not provide a healthy balanced and nutritious diet?

The reason there were fewer obese people in the 1940s and 1950s is obvious. Rationing restricted access, meaning people never developed a dependence on foods as a crutch.

Now, for those of us who struggle with weight, there is very little restriction, and even encouragement to eat crap, as it is usually cheaper than healthy food. I tried SW for several months, I cooked fresh meals from scratch. My food bills went up by about a third, and it was unsustainable. I stopped going mainly because we couldn't afford the weekly fees on top of the food.

YABU and frankly foolish.

Fwiw, My DM died from a massive heart attack long before the age of 50. She smoked, drank and was stressed out from teaching. She was obese. But she died so suddenly she was never a burden in the NHS.

yabu
overweight people should get help to lose weight (and they do if they ask), to find out if there is an underlying problem causing it.
but maybe people with pre-diabetes should go to weightloss clinics. but how to approach this, I don't know.

yabu
overweight people should get help to lose weight (and they do if they ask), to find out if there is an underlying problem causing it.
but maybe people with pre-diabetes should go to weightloss clinics. but how to approach this, I don't know.

Yabu

What do you think taxes are about?

And we all pay taxes directly or indirectly by the way be it via vat or income tax etc etc. Except maybe children!

Mousmous the help that people get to lose weight is very much (like many things) a postcode lottery with very little help available in a lot of areas, or massive waiting lists to access help.

What we really need is much better easily accessible access to help for people who are worried about their weight (and no "your not heavy enough for us to support" type scenarios) AND more preventative, educational approaches in schools from a young age (for children and parents) to try to counteract the increasing problem.

My daughter is 21, has autism and epilepsy.

She developed type 1 when she was 8

She developed insulin resistance last year

Yeah all her fault to... Silly silly thread

I get right royally fucked off with people who assume T2 diabetes is purely as a result of weight and lifestyle. In fact it is thought the a predisposition to T2 rears it's head in weight issues, rather than weight issues causing T2.

Then you get to the sticky situation of how to make your decision on fault. If I got T2 now and am a normal wight, how is anyone to know I only eat cakes, but not enough of them to get fat!

It's fine in principle to want people to pay towards issues they contributed towards but this can't be applied in practice and would have to be applied to all health conditions. It's simply not workable in a fair system.

YABU and I hope I never come across you in your "caring" profession.

mousmous - there is very little help for eating disorders if it is not anorexia. I'm lucky to attend a charity based eating disorders group but despite repeated attempts to go to the doctors for help its only now I'm really quite big and also suffering anxiety that I'm getting help.

The help I'm getting is mainly going to be for the depression rather than for the deep-seated psychological issues that lead to an eating disorder.

I'm sure if you haven't got an eating disorder it looks "easy" to deal with. Similarly if you don't smoke or drink it must look easy to give up (I've never had to battle either of those but understand it must be difficult for those strugling). You wouldn't say to a depressed person -"just cheer up", or to an anorexic "just eat". Similarly to someone suffering with binge eating disorder or compulsive eating you can't just say "eat healthily" as it isn't that simple sadly.

Electric - the OP isn't talking about type 1 diabetes or epilepsy.

Joy - I don't think the OP has said or implied that type 2 diabetes can't develop in slim people.

Hotcross - given the striking correlation in the uk between poverty and obesity, I suspect that as a group the obese pay much less tax than slim and healthy individuals of the same age.

I really don't understand this mentality that the NHS must at all costs be free at the point of use. Billions is spent in it and we have the 18th best health service in the world while the French have the best health service in the world where people who can afford do contribute towards their health care, but the state pics up the vast majority of the cost. People don't value something that is given for free.

If you claim job seakers you have to prove you've been doing your best to get a job in order to protect the public funds.

If you have a condition that is self inflicted through decades of abuse by eating junk food and doing little exercise I don't see the big deal in only giving free percriptions if the recipient is making an effort to improve their health.

Not sure why so many people are in favour of the status quo, its not working and getting increasingly unsustainable.

This makes me racist?

Could you answer the questions about other health conditions OP? as you are coming over as being a bit fattist by only talking about T2 diabetes.

Do you, yourself have any health conditions that get regular treatment? Are you aware that there is a lifestyle aspect of pretty much every health complaint? and are you aware that in this country we pay National Insurance Contributions which fund the NHS?

Are you also aware that you sound like an uneducated reactionary loon? I'm not sure there is currently a cure for that, but that's probably just as well as it seems to be self inflicted and wouldn't be covered under your rools.

And it's not working because of the steady chipping away of the service over the last couple of decades; reduced levels of funding, too many managers and not enough clinicians. I'm not an expert, perhaps someone who works in the NHS can comment further.