Part of Britain's NHS (Nat'l Health) made a controversial cost-cutting decision last year.

[pnwmom]

Last edited Tue Sep 19, 2017, 05:13 PM - Edit history (1)

More than one region tried this. I couldn't find out what the end result was, after the uproar.

According to the chart below, a BMI of 30 for a 5 foot 10 adult is 209 pounds; for 5 feet 5 is 180.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/obese-people-and-smokers-banned-from-surgery-unless-they-change-in-cashsaving-bid-a3363311.html

Obese people and smokers are to be banned from surgery for six months unless they try to change in a bid to save NHS cash.

A health authority in the north of England will deny operations to smokers and obese people unless they take part in a weight-loss or stop smoking programme first.

The move, by NHS Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group, is the latest in a string of similar plans unveiled by health authorities which have caused public outcry.

The Vale of York CCG were stopped by NHS England from imposing a similar policy after the Royal College of Surgeons raised concerns that it went against clinical guidance and made smokers and the obese “soft targets”.

St Helens CCG was also forced to abandon cost-cutting plans by stopping all non-urgent referrals for four months.

The most recent plan is part of an £8.4 million savings effort and would apply to all patients with a BMI of 30 and over.

SNIP

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmi_tbl.pdf

[ExciteBike66]

1. The good news is that the uproar could get results, since the system is

controlled by elected representatives, right?

[KT2000]

2. Selective villians for sure

Research is finding that certain pollutants - and by that I mean chemicals in commercial use and in everyday products is contributing to the obesity problem. Polluters will never be denied surgery though.

Lately, studies have moved from cardiovascular disease into more unexpected territory. And they’ve turned up compelling evidence that air quality may contribute to excess body weight. Frank Gilliland, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, became intrigued when laboratory studies suggested that certain pollutants in the environment might function as “obesogens,” contributing to weight gain by mimicking or disrupting the action of hormones, or having other effects. Still, he says, “I was very skeptical.”

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/list-diseases-linked-air-pollution-growing

[WillowTree]

3. So if your appendix burst, you'd have to wait 6 months to have it removed?

That might not have the best possible outcome.

[mythology]

5. The article is poorly written

The delay doesn't include life threatening surgeries.

It's for things like knee surgery where the obesity is often a contributing factor and the pain can often be relieved by losing weight and thus not need the surgery at all. Additionally something like knee replacement has a far greater chance of success if the patient loses weight first.

[pnwmom]

7. But it would also affect many surgeries where obesity isn't a contributing factor.

it would have made more sense if the ban only affected situations such as you describe.

[leftstreet]

4. smokers already pay through increased taxes

Time to make a bag of Doritos $50.00 !!

[Hortensis]

6. Surgeons often recommend people lose weight and stop smoking before scheduling surgery.

Both can lead to serious complications. Plus, when weight is lost some orthopedic surgeries aren't even necessary, or at least can be put off for some time until a condition worsens.

[pnwmom]

8. That's true. And they don't need a blanket directive to do it. Why not just recommend it for the

cases where it matters?