I have had ENOUGH

O.K. everyone.....not sure where to start on this one....but I truly have had enough...... OBESITY IS NOT THE CAUSE OF EVERY PROBLEM IN THE WORLD (I know this is my opinion) but I am sick and tired that we get blammed for everything....and we need to start writing to people and tell them how we feel. The following article was on the news this morning and is all over the internet. Which claims that Duke University has indicated that obese employees cost their employers more money than their skinny counterparts. W H A T ?????????? Where do they get this stuff from...... It is based on Duke Employees who filed worker's comp claims....my feelings are it is the employees they are hiring not the amount they weigh.....I am furious......this just makes me steam....I just know from my point of view....that I have not missed a single day of work from work related injuries in over 10 years yet, my skiny counterparts have been in and out of the hospitals several times......what gives..... Check out this article if you want to .....and please help me fight this type of discrimination ..... http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3069293 Betty Myers St. Louis, MO

This is Dr. Hornbostel. If you don't want a different perspective, stop reading. BUT, consider the flipside implications of this study. What it actually tells employers is "You should be offering insurance to cover effective weight loss programs (i.e., bariatric surgery) in order to provide the best care for your employees, and in order to maximize your productivity. The study further cautions employers that to interpret the study as a way of discriminating against people with BMI >40 is AGAINST THE LAW! I was frankly kind of happy to see the study.

Dr. Hornbostel.... First of all thank you for your response.....I do want to look at the flip side of this study and hope that there is a positive result from it... However, what really makes me uncomfortable is when reporters, news agencies, etc....have a title or byline to their article like this one which reads.....like the one from yesterday.....which read....Obesity Increases Workers' Compensation Costs; I guess what makes me so mad is that the title should read Obesity Increases Workers' Compensation Costs for Employees of Duke University......because as it reads...it sounds like Obesity is the cause of the increase in worker's compensation cases...and if you read the article in it's entirety.....it is a study based on only Obese Employees from Duke University.... I hope you understand what I am trying to say.... I am all for employers finally trying to see that assistance is needed by offering insurance to cover effective weight loss programs....in order to provide the best case for their employees as you stated....my hope is that this type of article does not cause more discrimination whether it is against the law or not....it may happen.... I am just about out of fight...I have been fighting this my whole life....and at age 53 ...I am ready to give up. I have been very successful following my WLS...with a weight loss of 177 pounds...but I still have about 80-90 pounds to go...and the struggle to get quality health care that is covered by my insurance is getting more and more difficult. This is just my opinion of course. Betty Myers St. Louis, MO