X-Message-Number: 24397 Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 09:01:24 -0700 From: James Swayze <> Subject: Medicare Redefines Obesity As Illness/Illinois Allow HIV Organ Transplant For our Cryonicists friends on Medicare -- myself included, for our friends that dislike Medicare and need something new to grumble about ;) and because of recent discussion regarding effects of obesity on health, I am posting this news on Medicare redefining obesity as an illness. I hope it won't be deemed too off topic. For myself this is good news, all issues of appropriateness of social services aside -- it is the current system and I need it, I'll be able to finally get treatment for recent weight gain in the last 2 years that has occurred due to circumstances beyond my control. I hate the weight gain in extremis! I've stayed within 10 pounds +/- of my original pre injury adult weight, 210 pounds -- which is ok for 6'5" height, for 24 years of paralysis with commensurate inability to exercise. I get diabetes in the mid 90's from a viral infection and it complicates matters immensely. In an attempt to lower my blood sugars I am put on the drug Actos 2 years ago and not informed it causes weight gain! I only learn of this two weeks ago. I was pulling my hair out for want of an answer why I was gaining weight with no changes in diet. was it really attributable to aging? Fat reduces insulin sensitivity. I'm taking the drug to increase insulin sensitivity. See the gross illogical crossed purpose here? I've gained at least 30 and maybe 40 pounds in just two years an I hardly eat. I mostly eat oatmeal and an egg or two in the morning and a light supper n the evening. Counting very infrequent snacking for when BG goes too low and that's not very damn much food. The biggest problem is not having any large muscle mass that is enervated for activation and burning of fat. I hope there's an answer for treatment. I've lowered my food intake from the above for the last two weeks to under 1000 calories a day, actually closer to 750. This is by eating only oatmeal in the am and a salad containing some protein (egg or nuts or chicken, etc.) for evening. I was told a year ago, as explanation for expanding gut and chins, that a side effect of the drug was moving internal fat from around organs and interstitial areas to the outside just under the skin. I thought, "Wow, if only I could get liposuction it would be a perfect way to lose weight". This would be only for me with my unique problems, not for normal folks. But it was not possible to fund such a thing. My doctor also doesn't think anyone would do it on me due to my circumstance of paralysis and diabetes. However, I think they've created a situation that demands a unique answer and I'm going to push for it, unless there's something better and less risky. If anyone else out there is diabetic I hope you heed my warning from this tale of woe, steer clear of Actos. [begin] Medicare Redefines Obesity As an Illness 3 hours ago By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Medicare now recognizes obesity as an illness, a change in policy that may allow millions of overweight Americans to make medical claims for treatments such as stomach surgery and diet programs. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said, "Obesity is a critical public health problem in our country that causes millions of Americans to suffer unnecessary health problems and to die prematurely." Treating obesity-related illnesses results in billions of dollars in health care costs, Thompson said. "With this new policy, Medicare will be able to review scientific evidence in order to determine which interventions improve health outcomes for seniors and disabled Americans who are obese," Thompson told a Senate panel on Thursday. With the removal of language in Medicare policy that said obesity is not an illness, beneficiaries will be able to request a government review of medical evidence to determine whether certain treatments for obesity can be covered. Though Medicare and Medicaid programs cover sicknesses caused by obesity _ including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer and gallbladder disease _ the previous policy meant that weight-loss therapies have often been denied coverage. "The medical science will now determine whether we provide coverage for the treatments that reduce complications and improve quality of life for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries who are obese," said Mark McClellan, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees health insurance programs for the elderly, disabled and poor. Some detractors of the change said it is based on unsound science. "We have a tremendously exaggerated fear of higher than average weight in this culture," said University of Colorado law professor Paul Campos, author of "The Obesity Myth." "What's partly baseless is this notion that the government needs to intervene to make Americans thinner," Campos said. HHS said the policy change is not expected to immediately alter Medicare coverage, and no figures were provided on potential costs to taxpayers. The Medicare agency said it may meet this fall to review scientific evidence on various surgical procedures related to obesity.[end] For the precedent that it creates that could favor cryonics I am posting this news of an Illinois law allowing the transplant between HIV positive individuals only of their organs. I don't know what the propect of donating an organ from an HIV negative to a positive would be, hopefully no issues with it at all. [begin] Illinois to Allow HIV Organ Transplants Thu Jul 15, 5:42 PM By MAURA KELLY LANNAN, Associated Press Writer CHICAGO - Illinois on Thursday became the first state with a law specifically allowing HIV-infected people to donate organs to others with the virus. But before such donations can take place, federal rules will have to change. Currently, organs from HIV-infected patients are discarded to prevent them from being transplanted into uninfected patients and spreading the AIDS virus. But those organs could prolong the lives of people who already have HIV, many of whom are living longer because of advances in medicine, said Dr. Patrick Lynch, a liver specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital who helped write the legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. "When those laws were originally put on the books, they made sense. HIV was, unfortunately, a death sentence back then," Lynch said. "That doesn't make sense anymore." HIV patients in need of a transplant have to wait, along with other patients, for organs from healthy donors. "What this law allows is expanding the base of potential donors," said Rep. Larry McKeon, a Democrat from Chicago who has HIV. But first, Illinois officials will have to work with the United Network for Organ Sharing _ which coordinates the nation's organ transplant system for the government _ to change U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulations. Proponents of the Illinois law hope it will prompt other states to help pressure officials to make that change. Opponents worry there are not enough controls to prevent infected organs from accidentally being given to someone who does not have HIV. The Illinois State Medical Society unsuccessfully sought the insertion of language protecting doctors from liability if the virus is accidentally transmitted during surgery.[end] Regarding the very last sentence, well good, that will keep them on their toes. I don't have strong feelings about this development other than always trying to favor the side where compassion and reason lives. One thought is that it is logical to want a means to help people so inflicted and allowing positive to positive donation will save lives. On the other hand I can see the worries. Government involvment skeptics will no doubt always distrust the system and see all manner of bad stuff happening. However, this has some relation to cryonics. If there was ever a cry to disallow a cryonics patient being suspended for reasons of fears of preserving this one of any possible of millions of disease causing viruses, then we have this precedent to defend against such needless and arkane actions. Hopefully I have successfully tied this to cryonics so as to not be judged too off topic. James -- Membership in order of joining: Cryonics Institute of Michigan http://www.cryonics.org The Immortalist Society http://www.cryonics.org/info.html The Society for Venturism http://www.venturist.org Immortality Institute http://www.imminst.org Methuselah Foundation http://www.methuselahfoundation.org Methuselah Mouse Prize http://www.methuselahmouse.org [Give $$$ for life!] World Transhumanist Assoc. http://www.transhumanism.org/ MY WEBSITE: http://www.davidpascal.com/swayze/ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=24397