http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourHealth/AlabamaHitsObeseWorkersWithFee.aspx

Quote :

"Alabama hits obese workers with fee State employees who don't try to lose weight will have to pay part of their health insurance premiums. It may sound heavy-handed, but the workers' lobbying group is not complaining. By The Associated Press The state of Alabama has given its 37,527 employees until 2010 to start getting fit -- or they'll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free. Alabama will be the first state to charge its overweight workers who don't try to slim down, while a handful of other states reward employees who adopt healthful behaviors. Alabama already charges workers who smoke -- and has seen some success in getting them to quit -- but now has turned its attention to a problem that plagues many people in the Deep South: obesity. The State Employees' Insurance Board earlier this month approved a plan to charge state workers starting in January 2010 if they don't get free health screenings. If the screenings turn up serious problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose or obesity, employees will have a year to see a doctor at no cost, enroll in a wellness program or take steps on their own to improve their health. If they show progress in a follow-up screening, they won't be charged. But if they don't, they must pay starting in January 2011. "We are trying to get individuals to become more aware of their health," said state worker Robert Wagstaff, who serves on the insurance board. Not all state employees see it that way. "It's terrible," said health department employee Chequla Motley. "Some people come into this world big." Computer technician Tim Colley already pays $24 a month for being a smoker and doesn't like the idea of another charge. "It's too Big Brotherish," he said. The board will apply the obesity charge to anyone with a body mass index of 35 or higher who is not making progress. A person 5 feet 6 inches tall weighing 220 pounds, for example, would have a BMI of 35.5. A BMI of 30 is considered the threshold for obesity. The board has not yet determined how much progress a person would have to show and is uncertain how many people might be affected, because everyone could avoid the charge by working to lose weight. But that's unlikely. Government statistics show Alabamans have a big weight problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30.3% are now obese, ranking the state behind only Mississippi. E.K. Daufin of Montgomery, a college professor and founder of Love Your Body, Love Yourself, which holds body acceptance workshops, said the new policy will be stressful for people like her. "I'm big and beautiful and doing my best to keep my stress levels down so I can stay healthy," Daufin said. "That's big, not lazy, not a glutton and certainly not deserving of the pompous, poisonous disrespect served up daily to those of us with more bounce to the ounce." A recent study suggested that about half of overweight people and nearly a third of obese people have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while about a quarter of people considered to be of normal weight suffer from the ills associated with obesity. No intent to punish Walter Lindstrom, founder of the Obesity Law and Advocacy Center in California, is concerned that all overweight Alabama employees will get is advice to walk more and to broil their chicken. "The state will feel good about itself for offering something, and the person of size will end up paying $300 a year for the bad luck of having a chronic disease his/her state-sponsored insurance program failed to cover in an appropriate and meaningful fashion," he said. William Ashmore, executive director of the State Employees' Insurance Board, said the state will spend an extra $1.6 million next year on screenings and wellness programs but should see significant long-term savings. Ashmore said research shows someone with a body mass index of 35 to 39 generates $1,748 more in annual medical expenses than someone with a BMI of less than 25, which is considered normal. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a few states offer one-time financial incentives for people pursuing healthy lifestyles. Ohio workers, for instance, get $50 for having health assessments and another $50 for following through with the advice. Arkansas and Missouri go a step further, offering monthly discounts on premiums for employees who take health risk assessments and participate in wellness programs to reduce obesity, stress and other health problems. Alabama's new policy is drawing no objection from the lobbying group representing state workers. Mac McArthur, the executive director of the Alabama State Employees Association, said the plan is not designed to punish employees. "It's a positive," he said."

8/26/2008 12:25:49 PM

haha, fatasses.

8/26/2008 12:26:39 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:28:50 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:29:34 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:30:26 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:30:50 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:31:15 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:32:10 PM

[OLD]

8/26/2008 12:32:57 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:40:50 PM

what they should have done is rather than add a surcharge, is just increase the rates and then give discounts for people who live healthy lifestyles. Yeah its pretty much the same thing BUT:

Premium = $150
Fatass Surcharge = $25
Total = $175

looks worse and causes more bitching than

Premium = $175

8/26/2008 12:41:18 PM

i think they should go by waist size and how many inches they've lost, not bmi...
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Fitness/story?id=5590968&page=1

8/26/2008 12:53:00 PM

^not a bad idea. But still...


GOOD!

8/26/2008 12:54:34 PM

Good.

8/26/2008 12:57:01 PM

i know a fat vegan...yeah i know, total mind fuck

8/26/2008 12:59:36 PM

wow...either he/she is realllly rich and can afford to eat all the time

or

they eat waaaay too many grains (and probably aren't getting enough nutrients).

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM. Reason : ]

8/26/2008 1:00:34 PM

good

(i'm fat also, but don't live in alabama, so screw those fat people)

8/26/2008 1:02:25 PM

Why do you think vegan automatically equals healthy and skinny?

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:02 PM. Reason : or maybe just skinny]

8/26/2008 1:02:37 PM

shit, these people aren't just overweight, a bmi of 35 or over is morbidly obese--unless they have a goiter or something, they should pay extra

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:05 PM. Reason : ^what is there to get fat from? rice?]

8/26/2008 1:04:44 PM

i just find it hilarious that she is fat and is a vegetarian

8/26/2008 1:05:52 PM

You can still deep fry vegetables. And eat white bread, sugar-filled crap, candy, chips, etc.

8/26/2008 1:09:42 PM

all the best desserts have eggs in them

8/26/2008 1:10:31 PM

oh...yeah i guess so...i was thinking more along the lines she had bad genes, but you are probably right

8/26/2008 1:10:37 PM

i'm a fatass and according to my bloodwork am in perfect health

i don't see why they'd need to go to the hospital anymore than a skinny person

8/26/2008 1:10:51 PM

Quote :

"E.K. Daufin of Montgomery, a college professor and founder of Love Your Body, Love Yourself, which holds body acceptance workshops, said the new policy will be stressful for people like her. "I'm big and beautiful and doing my best to keep my stress levels down so I can stay healthy," Daufin said. "That's big, not lazy, not a glutton and certainly not deserving of the pompous, poisonous disrespect served up daily to those of us with more bounce to the ounce.""

hmmm....

8/26/2008 1:11:39 PM

^^you're also relatively young

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:12 PM. Reason : ^]

8/26/2008 1:11:45 PM

My dad is around 300 lbs and his blood work is absolutely perfect. Some people just get lucky. Most fat people aren't, though.

8/26/2008 1:13:40 PM

Good idea, bad implementation. BMI is a terrible indicator of healthiness. I'm a 35.0, but hardly what one would see as a stereotypical "obese" person. I almost never go to the doctor, maybe once or twice a year tops - my insurance company should fucking love me. I almost never drink soda, avoid fast food, work out a couple times a week and ride my bike nearly every day, and very rarely feel like my "obesity" makes me grossly unhealthy or any more of a burden on anyone. I'll be the first to tell you I'm no chippendales model, but I'm not grossly overweight looking, despite my terrible BMI.

That said, there are plenty of disgustingly fat people who just don't give a shit and they are what is causing this sort of problem, eating super size combos and guzzling cokes every freaking day while they let their unhealthiness take over. To people like that, I say fuck 'em and charge out the ass if they're too pompous to even try to get healthy or lose weight. There is probably a better way to execute this, but I'm glad someone's at least trying.

8/26/2008 1:15:13 PM

still furshia has a cholesterol level of like 300...that sent a shiver down my spine when i read it

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:15 PM. Reason : .]

8/26/2008 1:15:13 PM

all the chronically unhealthy people i remember from when i was a kid were skinny little fucks

i'm taking the guys with inhalers that couldn't participate in anything for fear they'd develop a rash or get the plague or whatnot

make those guys pay more too

8/26/2008 1:16:42 PM

even if you are healthy now, you're at a higher risk of a large number of health conditions--just by virtue of being obese

8/26/2008 1:17:58 PM

Quote :

"all the best desserts have eggs in them "

I accept your challenge.

8/26/2008 1:19:25 PM

what's yours?

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:19 PM. Reason : ^^^^]

8/26/2008 1:19:49 PM

http://www.naafaonline.com/

ahaha, wth

8/26/2008 1:23:11 PM

the funniest part is half of the pics on that site show skinny ppl

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:24 PM. Reason : or at least "normal"ish]

8/26/2008 1:24:10 PM

Quote :

"even if you are healthy now, you're at a higher risk of a large number of health conditions"

this can also be said for family history, stress levels, environmental factors, and many other things....I'm not totally against the surplus charge for the obese, but just like anything else, where does it end?

Imo it sets a dangerous precedent.

8/26/2008 1:24:33 PM

^^^^115

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:24 PM. Reason : .]

8/26/2008 1:24:43 PM

Quote :

"this can also be said for family history, stress levels, environmental factors, and many other things....I'm not totally against the surplus charge for the obese, but just like anything else, where does it end?"

having people pay 100% of their own healthcare

8/26/2008 1:28:47 PM

i don't see at as being any different from charging smokers more, it's a lifestyle factor--but like nacstate said, it accomplishes the same thing as 'healthy living' discounts, it's just not as pc

8/26/2008 1:31:35 PM

again, imo its a bad precedent, what about heavy drinkers, or people who make other "unhealthy lifestyle choices", but its not outwardly apparent?...hell, a case could even be made that having numerous traffic tickets is a valid reason for additional health care fees

8/26/2008 1:42:32 PM

i don't see a problem with encouraging people to drive slower and drink less

8/26/2008 1:44:54 PM

so would body builders be heavy enough to have a BMI high enough to be a problem?

8/26/2008 1:45:52 PM

^^my point exactly.....where does it end?

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:46 PM. Reason : .]

8/26/2008 1:45:57 PM

advice to walk more and eat baked chicken is exactly what those people are going to get. there is no simple permanent cure to severe obesity, just like there isn`t any one straightforward cause. even for morbidly obsese people who manage to lose all the weight on their own there is something like an 85% relapse rate within 5 years. shit, a new set of studies came out that suggest that the bacterial and archeal FLORA IN YOUR INTESTINE can have a significant effect on your ability to gain and lose weight. I doubt they`re going to be offering ways to ameliorate your gut flora in their little program. 30% of alabama is obese. I doubt the other 60% are all within normal BMI range. that makes the problem of weight gain a societal problem, not an individual problem. If they are going to hold the people with medical problems accountable for the progress of their disease treatment anyway, why have health benefits in the first place?

having to pay $25 extra a month isn`t going to help anyone lose weight. the obese people in question already pay more to live on a daily basis anyway, ESPECIALLY if they ARE trying to lose weight. clothing is more expensive (have you ever seen workout clothes for fat people where you shop? haha), and orthotic shoes like many of these people need are ridiculously expensive. healthy food is way more expensive than the greasy counterparts, and they already have to pay for programs like weight watchers if they are using them. Exercise at that weight is often painful and risky in many cases, so they probably should pay extra for a special gym if they want to go to one. for people that do have health problems from obesity, they are still responsible for paying for drugs and the doctor`s copays and deductibles for any hospital visits or procedures they need. if they are sick, they may likely lose wages due to sick days, and the effort to do all of the stuff one `should` do to lose weight is very time consuming as well. one person`s salary can only go so far, and stress management is very important to successful weightloss and good health.

None of these health and weightloss expenses is guaranteed to end in weight loss, because there is no simple documented solution that these people are neglecting to follow. yes, there should definitely be some public assistance for weight management and general health, but at the additional peril of losing money if you fail to reach your goals? the state of alabama is taking people who are already down and kicking them harder, to the tune of $300 a year.

8/26/2008 1:47:28 PM

^^^i'm 5'11" and a bmi of 35 corresponds to ~250 lbs, so it's possible, but you'd have to be pretty diesel--although i imagine there's a way to get excepted

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:51 PM. Reason : ^or the skinny people aren't subsidizing their insurance anymore--whichever]

8/26/2008 1:48:53 PM

Quote :

"Good idea, bad implementation. BMI is a terrible indicator of healthiness. I'm a 35.0, but hardly what one would see as a stereotypical "obese" person. I almost never go to the doctor, maybe once or twice a year tops - my insurance company should fucking love me. I almost never drink soda, avoid fast food, work out a couple times a week and ride my bike nearly every day, and very rarely feel like my "obesity" makes me grossly unhealthy or any more of a burden on anyone. I'll be the first to tell you I'm no chippendales model, but I'm not grossly overweight looking, despite my terrible BMI."

You are also young. Most of the complications due to weight don't start popping up until you are 35-40-45. Then it keeps on coming.

Quote :

"again, imo its a bad precedent, what about heavy drinkers, or people who make other "unhealthy lifestyle choices", but its not outwardly apparent?...hell, a case could even be made that having numerous traffic tickets is a valid reason for additional health care fees"

Heavy drinkers don't hold down jobs, drug users get tested. There are steps in place for most stupid lifestyle decisions. I could see them levying fines or rewards for smoking though.

Quote :

"so would body builders be heavy enough to have a BMI high enough to be a problem?"

No, you can always get a hydrostatic BMI done that will be correct. And I doubt there are more than a few dozen corner cases like that.

8/26/2008 1:49:50 PM

strictly speaking, bmi doesn't take into account % body fat

8/26/2008 1:53:22 PM

how many skinny people are there in alabama though? i`m going to go out and guess that they constitute a MINORITY. in that event, they can always opt out of the state employee`s health insurance if they feel they are not getting the benefits they are paying for, and pay for their own with a private company. as it stands, excess weight and its complications, in alabama at least, is a wide spread health epidemic that is affecting over half the population. you can`t say `fuck you`to over half the population.

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 1:56 PM. Reason : ]

8/26/2008 1:55:47 PM

haha, even in alabama overweight people are the minority--but that aside, nobody is saying "fuck you", what they're saying is "pay your share"

[Edited on August 26, 2008 at 2:01 PM. Reason : bigger ass = bigger share]

8/26/2008 2:00:18 PM

when are they going to tell people with brain tumors to pay their share? the recovery rate looks better for people with brain tumors unless the fat people have surgery too

8/26/2008 2:02:25 PM