Americans are so fat, we need bigger MRIs

We've constantly been told that obesity is one of the leading causes of health problems in the United States, today the Wall Street Journal reports on a new wrinkle on that obesity-health connection, as they found that some hospitals don't have equipment strong enough to deal with their injured, obese patients. Wall Street Journal tech reporter Christopher Weaver's piece this morning sits on the axis of fascinating tech reporting, business, and culture as he explores how America's obesity epidemic affects not only the bodies of Americans, but also the expenses of hospitals that have to treat them by buying bigger equipment. And Weaver's piece comes on the heels of a health advocacy group's report (that should probably be taken with a grain of salt), reported on today by the AP, which states that by 2030, more than half the people in 39 states will be obese--the CDC has the obese rate in U.S. adults at 33.9 percent. As Weaver explains, the problem is two-fold: First, MRIs, CT scanners, and X-rays just can't penetrate the greater masses of tissue, and secondly, those machines just can't hold morbidly obese patients. And what it all boils down to is that severely obese Americans can't get the treatment because surgeons won't operate without the scans. Oof. And, because this is The Wall Street Journal and a business story, there are people making money off of this problem. 

Read more at The Atlantic Wire.

(Image via Levent Konuk/Shutterstock.com)