It's official - Denmark is raising taxes on saturated fat page 2

[Owly]

That is what happens when you have a universal socialist heathcare system funded by tax payers...

Gee, then it's funny that we spend less per capita on healthcare and have better health outcomes, including lower infant mortality rates and a longer life expectancy than the US.

From what I can see, you all have far less freedom to make healthcare choices down there with your private insurance system than we do up here with our public one. Nobody is making me weigh in or take a course at work to retain my coverage, and I'm not going to lose my ability to access coverage if I'm a cancer survivor.

[Grok]

From what I can see, you all have far less freedom to make healthcare choices down there with your private insurance system than we do up here with our public one.

That is because the government makes it illegal for you to buy insurance across state lines. Just an example of mercantilist corporatist hamiltonian fascism at work. Nothing at all to do with free markets.

[Owly]

That is because the government makes it illegal for you to buy insurance across state lines. Just an example of mercantilist corporatist hamiltonian fascism at work. Nothing at all to do with free markets.

You still have to buy insurance from someone with a profit motive to deny you coverage as much as they possibly can so that they can make the biggest buck possible. The fewer claims they have to pay out, the more money they make. I know when I go to the hospital that I won't get a nasty surprise down the road because some claims clerk decided my illness was too expensive.

[Owly]

Additionally, the GST is a federal tax, while healthcare is a provincial jurisdiction.

[Grok]

You still have to buy insurance from someone with a profit motive to deny you coverage as much as they possibly can so that they can make the biggest buck possible. The fewer claims they have to pay out, the more money they make. I know when I go to the hospital that I won't get a nasty surprise down the road because some claims clerk decided my illness was too expensive.

Healthcare in the US is extremely expensive because of government involvement. In a free market society prices go down, not up. Before the government got involved in healthcare in the US, health insurance could be paid for by a minimum wage worker at the time. Ever since the government got involved with medicare and medicaid and tax benefits for buying health insurance through your employer resulted in completely destroying the industry.

[Owly]

Healthcare in the US is extremely expensive because of government involvement. In a free market society prices go down, not up. Before the government got involved in healthcare in the US, health insurance could be paid for by a minimum wage worker at the time. Ever since the government got involved with medicare and medicaid and tax benefits for buying health insurance through your employer resulted in completely destroying the industry.

Sorry, not buying it. Old folks here still talk about people losing all their savings and their homes because of serious illnesses before the advent of the universal healthcare system in Canada. My dad even remembers it happening when he was a kid.

[mmsantos]

If Denmark is giving into such bullcrap, it doesn't bode well for other countries.

[LizardGurl]

I would have hoped that Denmark was paying attention to the research etc. coming out of Sweden that a diet high in saturated fat does not increase health risks.

LG

[norak]

That's not a sugar tax, it applies to anything that's considered food for immediate consumption--restaurant meals, pre-made sandwiches or salads, whatever.

We have the same thing in Norway. Food has about half the VAT compared to all other goods and services, so when you order at McDonald's, take-away will be cheaper than eating there, since the former is a food purchase while the latter is a restaurant service.

We actually do have a sugar tax though, which makes soda and chocolate more expensive than other foods. One of the big grocery store chains here is also lobbying for removing tax on fruits and vegetables. It's not in law yet, but that particular chain supposedly reduce their prices on fruits and vegetables as if they were tax free.

Another thing they started doing (and that the other chains soon followed) was to reduce prices on "healthy" foods--marked so by an official entity with a specific logo. This is all good, but the labelling is a bit off, as a chicken filet has the logo but a beef steak doesn't. Apparently there are criteria for max fat and salt content to get the logo, but still, most steak cuts should pass those.

I'm suspecting maybe it's because red meat is not considered healthy, or because the producers would lose too much money by having reduced prices on beef. As I understand it, the logo and certification is optional and thus controlled by the brand owner, meaning they can chose not to have the logo on a product that does fit the criteria.

Also, the food doesn't have to be healthy to be labeled, only more healthy than alternatives in the same product group, so there are already "healthy" frozen pizzas out there, with the official logo on the box...

[js290]

Another thing they started doing (and that the other chains soon followed) was to reduce prices on "healthy" foods--marked so by an official entity with a specific logo. This is all good, but the labelling is a bit off, as a chicken filet has the logo but a beef steak doesn't. Apparently there are criteria for max fat and salt content to get the logo, but still, most steak cuts should pass those.

I'm suspecting maybe it's because red meat is not considered healthy, or because the producers would lose too much money by having reduced prices on beef. As I understand it, the logo and certification is optional and thus controlled by the brand owner, meaning they can chose not to have the logo on a product that does fit the criteria.

The reduction in price is likely a subsidy. That is to say, your govt, in it's infinite wisdom, has decided to use public funds to help one group over another, i.e. chicken producers over beef producers.