Americans get support to stay in shape

Widely known to be one of the most obese countries in the world, our southern neighbour has been given another opportunity to trim the fat.

Medicare is an American health insurance program that now includes preventative care for their clients who have a body fat percentage over 30—and that’s a big step forward.

Specifically, this new coverage includes screenings, counselling and anything that plays a role in preventing obesity. It also includes coverage for symptoms or diseases relative to being overweight, such as strokes, diabetes, etc. The counselling sessions are provided for the first six months and can be extended to a year, as long as the patient manages to lose at least 6.6 pounds after the initial time period.

This is all good news because it’ll serve as a reminder for the U.S.'s questionable reputation concerning their healthy lifestyles, or lack thereof. Films like Sicko, Super Size Me and a number of YouTube documentaries hold a mirror up to Americans' above-average waistlines.

Even with this new opportunity, the path to physical fitness is not any easier for the average American. Medicare is not for everyone and the new support is merely a couple of prevention methods, leaving the already-overweight population--all 33.8 per cent of it--right where it was standing.

Medicare’s criteria narrows the eligible population to seniors over 65, people who are disabled, people with rare conditions, etc. The program covers approximately 43 million Americans out of the entire U.S. population. However, this could spark the interests of private insurance companies and put them in a position where they'll need to extend their coverage as well.

Some Americans have been given the tools to stay fit.  Now it's up to them to take advantage of that.