Sugary-sweet soda taxes

America has an obesity problem. America also has a health care crisis going on. These issues have a complicated relationship without simple solutions, but a federal tax on sugary beverages like soda could help lighten the load regarding the health care cost of treating obese patients.

Obese people are at much higher risk for diabetes, hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, cancer, etc., and medical insurance companies routinely deny coverage to people with health problems. When an obese person without medical insurance gets sick enough to need hospitalization, they will eventually go to the hospital. Unless this person has a giant savings account, the government and, in turn, taxpayers get stuck with the bill.

Americans lucky enough to qualify for health insurance and who are able to afford it—many of whom make sacrifices in order to—are stuck helping pay for the uninsured obese person’s ailments, which the obese person brought on themselves.

Overconsumption of sugar has recently been recognized as one of the main reasons Americans are packing on the pounds. Candace Wong, cardiovascular epidemiologist at University of California, San Francisco and spokesperson for the American Heart Association, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “The average American’s caloric intake has increased by about 150–300 calories (an increase of roughly 15 percent in a 2,000 calorie diet) in the last 30 years. That’s huge, and it’s coming from processed foods, half of it from sugary beverages.”

Lawmakers are aware of this. There has been controversy recently about a proposed federal tax on soda and other sugary beverages to help pay for health care reform. A fairly hefty tax was proposed by health advocates in a recent editorial to the New England Journal of Medicine that would equate to one penny per ounce of soda. This proposed tax is not actually on any bills that are being considered yet, but it is a fabulous idea.

According to The Oregonian, this penny-per-ounce tax could raise $16 billion nationally in the first year and possibly up to almost $200 million in Oregon. That would be a good start in helping to pay for the treatment of sick, obese and uninsured patients who are most likely grossly over-consuming sugar. But what about the rest of you who don’t want to pay the tax and aren’t either overweight or uninsured? Well, don’t buy soda.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that obesity costs America $147 billion per year. That money has to come from somewhere. At least this way we would begin to have a choice if we want to contribute.
Opponents of the soda tax, like Kevin Keane, vice president of the American Beverage Association (the soft drink industry’s powerful trade group), says that calories from soda are the same as calories from carrots. I guess he isn’t aware that carrots have nutrients. He goes on to say, “You’re not going to solve the complexities of health care reform and obesity with a tax on soda pop.”

It’s true: If the main objective of the tax is to reduce obesity, it will not have a significant impact, but a soda tax will at least begin to help pay for treatment of people who make poor health choices, and take some burden off of the rest of us.

Obesity arguably poses just as many health risks as smoking. Smokers have been paying for their poor choices for years with quite substantial federal and state cigarette taxes. Many people have stopped smoking and the taxes paid by the people who still do have helped government revenues considerably. It’s time for obese people to be held at least somewhat accountable for their poor health choices, just like smokers. A soda tax is a great place to start.