Alabama is going to charge state workers for being obese.
- Thread starter carinna
- Start date
Charging money towards health insurance premiums for obese people is similar to charging more money for auto insurance premiums from people with poor driving records. It is an increased health risk based on predictable demographic information, and insurance rates are determined based on the amount of risk involved. Increased risk=increased premiums. There are certainly many oportunities to avoid this charge by making even half-assed attempts to keep fit.
I think it's fair. A fit person with a bmi of over 30 would not be charged the $25 because their activities and lifestyle would exempt them from it, based on the article.
I think it's fair. A fit person with a bmi of over 30 would not be charged the $25 because their activities and lifestyle would exempt them from it, based on the article.
^^ Karky
edit: I was above 30BMI once and I have to admit, one cannot work as effectively than if you we're lower or in proper physical shape. Hopefully people will get healthier because it's better for them and not because it will make them save 25$/month.
my two cents.
Eric
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Figures.. Ronnie Coleman would have to pay this "obesity tax".. As would many with a lot of muscle mass, even if they are lean.
If they take the trouble of sending them to a doc, they could have the doc assess if they are actually obese or not (with using a proper definition of obese, this 35+ bmi crap ain't gonna cut it)
I'll bet they will take it into account of the BMI is higher due to muscle - like the military. If your BMI is high they then have a system of measuring you to determine whether its fat or muscle. If its muscle you are given a waiver for you high BMI. I'm sure they wouldn't charge someone with a high BMI who is very obviously healthy.
Body fat percentage would be a much more accurate way of doing this sort of thing, except that it is expensive to measure accurately. They probably went with BMI because it is easy to measure, even though there are exceptions of people with lots of muscle (though such people are probably only a small percentage of the general population).
According to the article, they already have a fee for the medical insurance plan for smokers.
Time Magazine said:
Regarding the Big Brother arguments, when Big Brother is paying your medical insurance, do not be surprised if Big Brother becomes interested in your habits that affect medical costs.
The Alabama state government is not the first medical insurance payer to become interested in the subject. The government of Japan wants to measure waistlines because fat people cause government-provided medical costs to go up, and Business Week had an article about a company in the US pushing employee wellness to keep its medical insurance costs under control (with considerable controversy, since they tended to terminate employees who continued unhealthy habits like smoking).
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Great news. I hope it gets adopted nationwide.
It makes sense to me. If people are making the choice to put themselves at risk then they should pay their share instead of making everyone else pay for their bad habits. Someone who stays in good shape and doesn't smoke should get to pay less for insurance because they won't need as much medical attention.
Very few people are so muscular they have a 35+ BMI. Do like the Highway Patrol does in my state...if you're over their height/weight standards you have to prove you're under 20% BF.
They don't do BF readings right off, because accurate methods of obtaining BF readings are expensive.
They don't do BF readings right off, because accurate methods of obtaining BF readings are expensive.
Yeah I agree, but I still don't think muscular people should have to pay more. Also, it doesn't take all that much to get to 35BMI with muscles.. might depend a bit how tall/short you are.
But yeah, I guess as a compromise those people could do an accurate bf test themselves, however, that is still not 100% fair since they would basically have to pay to get the test done just because they are muscular.
But yeah, I guess as a compromise those people could do an accurate bf test themselves, however, that is still not 100% fair since they would basically have to pay to get the test done just because they are muscular.
I think its a good time to be a fitness professional near the state offices in AL. Corporate fitness program anyone??
Karky, like Gooch said, chances are there are 1% of people whos BMI is over 35 because of their huge muscles. Plus it said that the initial way into the monitoring is if you have some kind of actuall problem (blood pressure, cholestrol, etc)
Karky, like Gooch said, chances are there are 1% of people whos BMI is over 35 because of their huge muscles. Plus it said that the initial way into the monitoring is if you have some kind of actuall problem (blood pressure, cholestrol, etc)
not well, but that doesn't mean he should pay more ensurance 
I understand that not a lot of people have a BMI of 35 because of muscle, but put yourself in the shoes of those who do.
Anyways, to me stuff like this always turns into a case of principle. Whenever someone gets treated unfairly because of race, sex, etc, I explode
I understand that not a lot of people have a BMI of 35 because of muscle, but put yourself in the shoes of those who do. Anyways, to me stuff like this always turns into a case of principle. Whenever someone gets treated unfairly because of race, sex, etc, I explode