Are you fat and unhealthyIf so, fines deducted from your pay. http://biz.yahoo.com/bizwk/070802/aug2007db2007081804238.html?.v=1&.pf=insurance
That's pretty funny-not haha funny, but ironic. How many of these employers perpetuate the stress that is associated with weight gain, yet they want the incentives from the insurance companies? Hmmmmm.... TG Being a former FAT person, I can comment on this. I agree that overweight people should pay more for health care than the average person because of weight issues that compound health problems. I know people are going to say "well, a thin person can use up health care as much as an overweight person. Why penalize an overweight person if it is not their fault?" I see so many people buying "Mega Sized" meals at fast food restaurants and they almost always get the largest soft drink (non-diet). After their meal they go and get a refill! That meaga drink can be up to 44 ounces! A former colleague of mine weighed 300 lbs. She broke six chairs that cost $200 each! She had high blood pressure and health issues caused by her obesity. Why should employees of normal weight be penalized for those who are overweight or smoke? I have a relative in the medical field - with high bp, normal chlosterol and very overweight. He would hit the roof if his pay was docked - this is American I can eat what I d**n well please and if I can do my job (which he can) why should he be censored in this manner. His rant over Having lost 30 pounds last year and working to maintain if not lose a few more pounds - I look around at the abysmal eating habits and lack of exercise Americans now enjoy. I have been able to travel to Europe several times and always come back thinking how unhealthy our country is. I think fining employees or at least have some sort of physical to determine (defray) insurance costs would be great for employers. And while they're at it - why don't they discount the premiums for the healthy staff members. Well, there isn't too much being done about the obesity problem yet. Looks like about 60% of the population is going to get fined then and that number is rising. More should be done about the obesity epidemic, but I don't think fining people who are fat and unhealthy is going to do it. How do you teach all the obese people out there to change their lifestyle? That's what needs to be done. Everyone wants a quick fix and don't want to change. We just instituted a wellness program here at our firm. We have started having quarterly meetings where someone comes in and talks to employees about something health related. For example, the first meeting we had was about our core. We had two trainers from the YMCA come in and show us exercises to work our core. The last meeting we had was about nutrition. The nutritionist said that they started a course at the hospital about lifestyle changes. It sounds like a very good program. When I talked to the nutritionist, I asked her if this lifestyle program was being presented to all of other people coming in for gastric bypass and other weight loss surgery and she said, "no." She said they were looking for a quick fix and probably wouldn't be interested in the program. I went on to tell her that she was in a prime position to do something about obesity and needed to get that program out to these people so they would think twice about surgery. A lot of these people who are going for gastric bypass need this lifestyle changes course instead of the surgery. They need to change their way of thinking about food and their health. If they can do that, they won't need the surgery. Anyway, that's my rant for the day. From someone who is slightly overweight who has taken responsibility for my health by watching what I eat and exercising several times a week. Interesting and funny. Thankfully they are at least acknowledging that there are in some cases medical conditions that prevent "perfect" body conditions. Not every person who is over weight is there because they indulge in super sized meals or live sedindary lifes. Punishing those people for what they cannot prevent is cause for concern. My BMI is way below 30, so I wouldn't get docked, but as you age weight can easily go up. There are other reasons why. I fight this issue all the time. 14 surgeries. Periodic bouts with Paralysis. A bullet lodged in my spine. Just when I get back in the gym - wham! For 15 years I have battled this one. Sucks really badly. I am lucky. Everything else is good - but weight and BMI are bad. So far this year after the last surgeries I have lost 28 lbs and 4 BMI points thus far in 9 weeks, with the help of a trainer. We shall see if these surgeries hold. If they do I might get lucky this time.
LValDean...sorry, I meant this message for 'all' and not specifically to you...editing won't let me change the "to" part of the message. ************************************ Well, if we are going to penalize people at eating places, we better penalize people in their bedrooms too - you know, sexually transmitted diseases and all. Use alcohol? Well, the deaths and dismemberments,etc. that that causes - penalize all drinkers! How 'bout the people who don't use helmets? Knock their hard heads while you take their money? People who speed? Let them hit a financial wall. Those who can't manage their stress - like work abused people? Tell 'em to take two aspirin and pay their doctor 250 dollars before they can even talk to him or her. If your IQ is lower than average, well that makes you do 'stupid' things, so your health costs are bound to be greater than the average bear, right? Penalize them too!! Sarcasm aside, maintaining good health is important - no doubt. BUT there are a LOT of factors that cause obesity. Some controllable; others, not so much. Have you ever thought that the cheap foods are some of the worst foods? I'm not talking fast food. I'm talking cheese and macaroni, potato chips, cookies, etc. And don't preach about the fact that people need to make choices. Of course they do...but feeding a family of four, using fresh vegetables can be spendy. Organic foods for a family of four? Forget it - at least on most people's incomes. Wonder what group will be the scapegoat for social ills in the next few decades? We've hacked the smokers, now let's cook the obese!! A lovely message, I mean that sincerely.
And that comes from a woman whose BMI is below average. Will the ways in which employers and health insurers find to discriminate ever end? (I said discriminate, not illegally discriminate, although the methods they employ to "legally" discriminate can be equally abhorrent) | |
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