Breaking Medical News: Insurance Invests Billions in Fast Food

[Guest guest]

Just saw this (I was away from my computer for a week) and thought it might be

of interest to some of you. Best, Pat.

 

Insurance Invests Billions in Fast Food

 

Health and life insurance companies invest billions in the fast-food industry,

according to a Harvard report. Researchers from Harvard University's Cambridge

Health Alliance analyzed health and life insurance companies' holdings in the

fast-food industry and found that insurers own $1.88 billion dollars worth of

stocks in McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Wendy's/Arby's, Yum! Brands (owner of KFC

and Pizza Hut), and Burger King. The authors offer the following possible

explanations for the conflict of interest: profitability of investments

outweighs other concerns, unawareness of social impact, or unawareness of

individual divisions' activities (investments vs. claims, for example). The

authors go on to suggest that the insurance companies should either remove their

funds from the fast-food industry or leverage their ownership to force them to

change their practices.

 

Mohan AV, McCormick D, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein DU, Boyd JW. Life and health

insurance industry investments in fast food. Am J Public Health. Published ahead

of print April 15, 2010. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.178020.

 

---

 

For information about nutrition and health, please visit www.pcrm.org/.

 

Breaking Medical News is a service of the Physicians Committee for

Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 400,

Washington, DC 20016.

 

 

 

 

 

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016

Phone: 202-686-2210

E-mail: pcrm

 

To from future PCRM Foundation e-mail communications, visit

http://pcrm.convio.net/site/CO?i= & cid=1124

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Why am I not surprised? Maybe this is so they could deny more health claims?

There is an obvious conflict of interest here...

 

In Caritate et Ratione,

 

 

 

Christian Ambrose Wade

hypatia1128

 

''Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care

how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have

lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship

them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble

life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. I am not

afraid.''~MARCUS AURELIUS

 

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--- On Sat, 4/24/10, Patricia Sant <drpatsant wrote:

 

> Patricia Sant <drpatsant

> Breaking Medical News: Insurance Invests Billions

in Fast Food

>

> Saturday, April 24, 2010, 8:36 AM

> Just saw this (I was away from my

> computer for a week) and thought it might be of interest to

> some of you. Best, Pat.

>

> Insurance Invests Billions in Fast Food

>

> Health and life insurance companies invest billions in the

> fast-food industry, according to a Harvard report.

> Researchers from Harvard University's Cambridge Health

> Alliance analyzed health and life insurance companies'

> holdings in the fast-food industry and found that insurers

> own $1.88 billion dollars worth of stocks in McDonald's,

> Jack in the Box, Wendy's/Arby's, Yum! Brands (owner of KFC

> and Pizza Hut), and Burger King. The authors offer the

> following possible explanations for the conflict of

> interest: profitability of investments outweighs other

> concerns, unawareness of social impact, or unawareness of

> individual divisions' activities (investments vs. claims,

> for example). The authors go on to suggest that the

> insurance companies should either remove their funds from

> the fast-food industry or leverage their ownership to force

> them to change their practices.

>

> Mohan AV, McCormick D, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein DU, Boyd

> JW. Life and health insurance industry investments in fast

> food. Am J Public Health. Published ahead of print April 15,

> 2010. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.178020.

>

> ---

>  

> For information about nutrition and health, please visit

> www.pcrm.org/.

>

> Breaking Medical News is a service of the Physicians

> Committee for

> Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite

> 400,

> Washington, DC 20016.

>

>

>

>

>

> Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

> 5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 

> 20016

> Phone: 202-686-2210

> E-mail: pcrm

>

> To from future PCRM Foundation e-mail

> communications, visit

> http://pcrm.convio.net/site/CO?i= & cid=1124

>

>

>

>