From the Associated Press:
“Alabama, pushed to second in national obesity rankings by deep-fried Southern favorites, is cracking down on state workers who are too fat.
The state has given its 37,527 employees a year to start getting fit — or they’ll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free.”
Weigh more, pay more in Alabama
I’m not surprised to see this. For years smokers have been forced to pay additional state and federal taxes and higher insurance premiums as a way to “offset” the “burden” they put on the health care and insurance systems. With obesity becoming the focus of so many of the major health issues facing Americans today, I am not surprised this has not happened sooner.
The problem with this system is that “overweight” is very difficult to define and somewhat subjective. Add to that the fact that there are many reasons that some people are overweight for reasons other than they eat too much or don’t exercise enough. There are many medical conditions that cause a person to be overweight such that there are times when they cannot do much about it.
I would be more in favor of placing a higher sales tax on foods that are higher in calorie and low in nutritional value rather than a system that penalizes someone who has a weight problem and that determination is subjective.
I also think that the health care system should help individuals pay for equipment and/or club memberships with programs that are designed by physicians and health care professionals to help people exercise regularly and properly whether they are overweight or not.
Too much emphasis in our health care plans is focused on treating problems after they show up rather than giving individuals the ability, knowledge, and support they need to make healthy living and lifestyle changes as a preventative measure. A better lifestyle that was supported by the health care providers in this country would go far to lower the problems Americans have as they age.
Doctors are too often viewed as someone people should only go to when they have serious health problem. The door is open and people want help– this is obvious from the phenomenal amount of money people spend every year on nutritional supplements, crack-pot diets, and questionable exercise programs and equipment.