What You Eat is Your Business: Critical Analysis of Radley Balko’s Argument

In his recent work “What You Eat Is Your Business”, Radley Balko harshly criticizes government involvement in public health. He argues that spending a large sum of money on anti-obesity programs is the incorrect way to end the obesity epidemic. In his opinion, the best way to lower the country’s obesity rate is for people to manage their health privately without interruption from the government. He believes that obesity needs to be taken out of the country’s public health sector so that citizens would be forced to pay for their medical care, resulting in them taking responsibility for their well-being. Obesity has become a staple of American society, thus I support Balko’s position that people are responsible for their own health, yet I disagree with his argument that individuals should be liable for their healthcare costs.

On one hand, I agree with Balko’s stance that obesity is a personal issue. The government could implement an overbearing amount of policies concerning the welfare of its citizens, however, until a person is ready to commit to a healthier lifestyle, nothing will come of the policies. Balko states, “ Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food options available to American consumers, our government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of our health and well-being.” In other words, he believes that the government shouldn’t try to change the type of foods that are available to consumers but instead, hold them accountable for their choices. It is no secret that junk food (which is linked to obesity and other diseases) is easily accessible in this country, however, there are healthier alternatives that can be found if one puts in the effort. I am an example that weight regulation is a personal journey. This is so because in my junior year of high school I gained 35 pounds because I was consuming items that I knew to be unhealthy while also being physically dormant. I was aware of all of the things that I needed to do to lose the weight that I gained because my mother is a nurse and broke down what I needed to do to lose the weight step-by-step- I simply didn’t want to. It wasn’t until I decided for myself that I wanted to lose weight that I started to take action toward my weight loss goal. For the reason that I have personal experience, I can say that the issue of weight gain or even weight loss is personal.

On the other hand, I disagree with Balko’s stance that people should cover their health care costs. Balko argues, “states are preventing private health insurers from charging overweight and obese clients higher premiums, which effectively removes any financial incentive for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.” Basically, he thinks that making individuals cover their medical bills would make people take control of their health. Balko is convinced that this will result in people making better decisions about diet and an increase in physical activity.

Obesity causes health issues such as gout, diabetes, and cancer, that a person who maintains a normal weight may not have. This should not mean that an obese person should pay more for healthcare than others. Weight gain is not only caused by an unhealthy diet, but it can also be a side effect of certain medications, or caused by insomnia, certain types of cancer, and even kidney diseases. Patients should not have to suffer because of their condition, and also because of medical bills. Also, healthcare providers determine whether someone is obese or overweight by checking their body mass index (BMI) which is found by dividing an individuals weight by their height. The BMI method has been proved inaccurate because it does not account for muscle mass, bone density, overall body composition, and gender differences; all of which are not the same for any two individuals. This means that one can be labeled as overweight because they have a high muscle mass percentage, not because their body contains a high percentage of fat. This depicts that how healthy or unhealthy an individual is cannot be determined by simply looking at them,It is for this reason that I believe that a person’s weight is their personal battle.

Overall, it is indisputable that obesity is an issue in America. However, when it should be one person’s choice and not the entire country’s of how their body is cared for. Radley Balko and has a very transparent idea of how obesity can be ended in America. I agree with Balko that people have to take responsibility for their own weight , and their health in general. Still, I disagree that forcing people to cover their own healthcare costs will be an effective method to end the obesity epidemic. Ultimately, obesity itself is a much larger issue than how people choose to handle it. Whether it is a social or personal problem, shouldn’t matter as long as something is being done to resolve it.