My guess is that they're taking points from the CDC and the Public Health Corps and they're both firmly in the "OMGFat Kills!" camp, clinging to medical science that's five years out of date. And yes, that's really, very disturbing.

And you know what's most bothersome is that none of this "lawyer takes bad talking points from statisticians with no medical knowledge" is even necessary. There are so many better illustrations of the shortcomings of our current insurance system (or lack thereof) I don't know who he thinks he's winning points with by beating the "gotta lose weight" drum.