New York Times: Big Food vs. Big Insurance

Michael Pollan writes about how the proposed changes in health care regulations might lead to a shift in food policy. He suggests that once insurance companies can no longer deny or drop coverage for people with diet-induced health problems, the powerful insurance lobby may become invested in reforming our food system. An interesting idea, and a potentially powerful benefit of healthcare reform.

"When health insurers can no longer evade much of the cost of treating the collateral damage of the American diet, the movement to reform the food system - everything from farm policy to food marketing and school lunches - will acquire a powerful and wealthy ally, something it hasn't really ever had before. (...) But what happens when the health insurance industry realizes that our system of farm subsidies makes junk food cheap, and fresh produce dear, and thus contributes to obesity and Type 2 diabetes?"

Click here for the full article in the New York Times.