Lots of flawed things in Odumbocare .. here's another, and one of my gripes. Look at the examples of diabetics, those overweight/obese, and the costs they incur. And note the woman below who just loves to bake and eat her high calorie desserts. And given such poor choices she'll get a $574/month subsidy and end up paying $2/month for health insurance. So taxpayers will pay almost $7000 for her premiums and she'll pay $24!! That is so irresponsible!!
About 60 percent or so people with Type 2 diabetes can keep side effects at bay by simply managing sugar levels, exercising and watching their weight, said Dr. Sam Nussbaum, a former endocrinologist at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital and an executive vice president for the insurer WellPoint.
On the flip side, if the disease is ignored, it can lead to multiple, severe complications. It's the leading cause of heart disease, strokes, kidney failure and vision loss.
A relatively healthy person with diabetes can cost insurers around $5,000 a year.
"But if you let any of those long-term, difficult complications develop, then you're talking $100,000 dollars plus," Nussbaum said.
About 26 million Americans have diabetes, and two-thirds of them are overweight or obese. Approximately 8 percent of Americans are estimated to have the disease, and insurers anticipate at least that percentage of the 7.5 million people now insured under the federal law will have diabetes.
Shelley Dayman, who lives in an Orlando suburb, has struggled for years to manage her disease, in part because loves to bake and eat her sweet creations. A few years ago, the 62-year-old woman lost her foot in a car accident. Doctors reattached it, but she uses a wheelchair and can't exercise. She lost her job, her health insurance and started stretching her insulin because she couldn't afford it.
Last year, she was rushed to the hospital after she started talking gibberish while on the phone with her sister. Dayman's blood sugar was off and she spent an expensive two days in the hospital.
"My insulin was the last thing I was thinking about," said Dayman, describing the struggle many diabetics have managing their disease and life events.
She recently gained insurance under the Affordable Care Act, finding a Humana plan that costs less than $2 a month thanks to a $574 tax credit. While her new insurer hasn't come calling yet, she can probably expect it if she gets out of line.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/health-law-insurers-target-diabetics-111331542.html
