Should the obese pay more?
Troublesome drivers have higher insurance rates. Smokers don’t get breaks from insurance carriers. Should it follow that obese people pay higher insurance rates? That’s what’s happening for state employees in Alabama. Market Place presented a report on the issue yesterday:
Here’s a number for you: Obesity costs the U.S. health care system $93 billion a year. But honestly, the number I wanted to know when I first heard about this policy was my body mass index. So I went to the Web.
My height is 5-foot, 2 inches. And my weight is 164 pounds. We hit “compute BMI” and the answer’s 30.
Under the new plan, state employees in Alabama who have a BMI of more than 34 and don’t address their problems with cholestoral or blood pressure, will have to pay $25 more a month for health insurance.
Commenters don’t agree that BMI is a good measure. Hit the link and look for the BMI calculator.
You’re five foot, two? Are your eyes blue as well?
The reporter is a radio voice, so we’ll probably never know.
Well my “BMI” is 67.9 and my eyes are blue! Health Insurance companies and State and Federal health plans needs to offer preventive care such as gym memberships, etc.
I also believe that people who are overweight on Medicaid through Welfare should be offered memberships to fitness centers, preventive care with a certified dietitian and if they refuse to take advantage to the preventive care they should have their Medicaid coverage taken away. I think the State would find that Medicaid cost would drop if this was required.
Since I’m a little runt, I don’t know the answer to this: Does clothing cost more as the size increases? Really large clothing takes more materials to create, but does the cost remain the same regardless of size?