this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2024
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Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is proposing a new rule to significantly expand coverage of anti-obesity medications for Americans with Medicare and Medicaid. Tens of millions of Americans struggle with obesity. An estimated 42 percent of the U.S. population has obesity, which is now widely recognized as a chronic disease, with increased risk of all-cause mortality and multiple related comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, some cancers, and more.

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[–] ChonkyOwlbear 11 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

How would you address the problem without rewriting the constitution? You can't force people to eat healthier or force companies to sell healthier food.

[–] greyfox 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

A truth in marketing law could probably help a little and be easy enough to pass.

Make them show the real product in the advertisements not a fake version meant to entice you.

Along those same lines it would probably be possible to limit those ads in the first place. The human brain is quite susceptible to propaganda and ads are just one of capitalism's versions of that. Cut the ads and suddenly you have a lot less people being reminded constantly and programmed to consume.

Or classify those foods like alcohol/tobacco and put sin taxes on them.

[–] ChonkyOwlbear 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

A truth in marketing law would likely fail free speech tests. Sin taxes on food can work, but they REALLY piss people off. A lot of politicians have lost their careers to sugar taxes.

[–] greyfox 1 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah not saying any of this would be likely, just that the options are there.

Not sure that I agree that it would fall under free speech if it can clearly be shown to be false advertising. Current courts certainly wouldn't let that happen but we can dream.

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