Obesity Law and Legal Definition
Obesity is the condition of having excessive body fat. Due to the high incidence of obesity in the U.S., there have been attempts to curb obesity through regulation and legal battles to vindicate the rights of obese people. In some states, the state education departments have enacted regulations on sugary and fatty foods sold in school lunch lines and vending machines. Soft drinks sold at middle and high schools have also been regulated. There have also been proposals to include indications of obesity on a child's report card.
Some of the legal issues of obesity relate to insurance access, risk management and obesity-related discrimination. Obesity discrimination has been claimed against certain transportation industries because of seating and ticketing rules and accomodations.The medical necessity of bariatric surgery has been an issue in the battle to obtain insurance coverage for treatment. Weight loss treatments have been denied on the basis of not being a medical necessity or being specifically excluded underthe insurance contract.
