With obesity threatening the resources of the NHS, according to the BBC, decisive action must be taken to preserve our health service.

Sir Derek Wanless originally wrote a groundbreaking report in 2002 which led to record rises in the budget the NHS was given. He is now saying that too little is being done to address the growing problem of obesity in the UK. Limited NHS resources are being drained and will potentially only get worse as 33% of men and 28% of women will be obese by 2010, figures that are much worse than he originally predicted in 2002. With obesity leading to diabetes, cancers and heart disease, the burden on the NHS will only grow over the coming years.

What does this mean for private health insurance? As people become increasingly aware of the issues facing the NHS, more and more are turning to medical insurance to ensure that they can be treated promptly if injury or disease occurs.

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(picture :BBC web site)