Bad News For Obese Alabamians’ Health Insurance
Alabama is the first state in the U.S. to require state employees to pay for their health insurance if they are obese.The Alabama State Employees’ Insurance Board will assess a charge of $25 per month if any of the 37,527 state workers have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or higher and doesn’t show weight-loss progress.
The plan was approved last week, reported the Los Angeles Times.According the proposal, employees have until January of 2010 to get in shape.Alabama already penalizes state workers for unhealthy habits - smokers must pay $24 per month for their health insurance. If they also are obese, their health insurance will go up to $49 a month.”We are trying to get individuals to become more aware of their health,” said an Insurance Board member.
At first glance, this proposal makes sense. Most people are aware that being obese is a health risk, their is high blood pressure, cholesterol, among others. This is actually a good incentive.
The oppositions to this hypothetical question are many. Mostly being expressed by the obese employees of Alabama themselves.
The response to that is that not every overweight person is unhealthy. It has been researched and proven that half of overweight people have normal blood pressure and cholesterol. Out of obese numbers, a third have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels. An Alabama state worker says, .”[The new plan is] terrible. Some people come into this world big.” This will be an ongoing debate.
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