Former Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson Says 'Flawed Law, Flawed Science' in New Healthcare Law Requiring Reporting of Body Mass Index, Calls For Market Incentives and Updated Measurement Tools, Reports Stayhealthy

WASHINGTON, July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Obama administration sets its sights on overweight Americans, demanding obesity ratings for all citizens by 2014, the Health and Human Services Dept. announced this week that under the stimulus law, healthcare providers must establish "meaningful use" of electronic health records to qualify for federal subsidies or risk seeing their Medicare and Medicaid payments slashed. The electronic health records must include Americans' body mass index, or BMI, height and weight.

Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, a long-standing advocate in the fight against obesity says, "As Secretary, I launched a 'Call to Action' to fight excess weight and obesity. Personal, accurate, and actionable information is a first step to people understanding their health and changing behaviors. To achieve those goals requires smart incentives by government, schools and the private sector, not legislated mandates built on outdated science."

According to Thompson, the requirement to measure BMI underscores the faults in the new regulations. He points to a growing consensus in the scientific community backing the use of "body composition analysis," including a new University of Southern California study that points to this new model in obesity management.

Thompson notes, "A new generation of private sector firms including Stayhealthy are bringing innovative, effective and affordable new tools to the American public based on the medical community's consensus about body composition analysis that will enable Americans to understand and change their health and behavior on their own without government interference."

About The Study: For the study published in the June issue of Nutrition Research  ("Validity and Reliability of the Stayhealthy BC1 Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer for the Prediction of Body Fat in Children and Adults"), see full journal article at http://www.nrjournal.com/article/S0271-5317(10)00066-7/abstract .

About Stayhealthy: Stayhealthy, Inc., based in Monrovia, CA, is a privately owned health solutions company committed to changing the way the world measures health and fitness. More information is available at www.stayhealthy.com.

SOURCE Stayhealthy, Inc.