Phoenix received publicity this past week in "The Week" magazine concerning Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Brewer has undergone a shower of criticism for her cut of transplant coverage last year. Due to this, 98 Medicaid recipients were denied lifesaving kidney transplants and other operations. In order to raise $500 million for much needed organ transplants, Brewer has proposed a new plan that her critics have dubbed the "fat tax". This is a tax that charges $50 a year to Medicaid patients who are obese and fail to follow a doctor prescribed weight loss plan, as well as patients who continue to smoke and diabetics who fail to get their condition under control.
This is an interesting proposition proposed by Brewer. I cannot say I am a fan of Governor Brewer because she seems to have a flair for negative attention and controversy. Her antics with SB 1070 have put Arizona on the map as a center of racial discrimination and this law has focused even more criticism on the Valley. I do not agree with her decision to cut organ transplants because that is a question of life and death. I do not understand budgeting in the government and to me it is very flawed but her proposition to impose this "fat tax" is interesting to me. If transplants must be cut, this tax does not seem like a horrible idea to me. Those who are being taxed are facing preventable conditions. I realize there are obstacles in all of these cases, like money and circumstance but again these conditions are preventable. Those who do not want to pay $50 a year will be forced to get their disease or addiction under control. If this tax is passed it will no doubt bring more attention and controversy to Arizona but maybe in this case it will actually be worth it.
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