Extra pounds mean insurance fees for Ala. workers

I think this is discriminatory but I have to say to all of those who thinks this is OK, be careful. Every time you give up a little of your rights your employer will try to get more. Research has shown that people improve their behaviors with positive not negative reinforcement. I will say that their standard here is not that high. A BMI of 35 is considered obese. Although there are also many issues by using the BMI as your measurement.
Why not be positive and offer employees free exercise programs. Reward people. If you lose 10% of your body weight you get 1/2 day off.
I also always like to look at other countries. I find it interesting that in Europe obesity is not nearly the problem it is in the United States. They also generally get six weeks vacation. Could it be that we are all a bunch of workaholics that don't have enough time to concentrate on anything but work? This doesn't only include our health but also our families, our children, etc., etc.
My concern about this whole idea is I feel this is an infringement on individual rights. I really believe they will keep going if we let them start here.

Europe has also moved to ban much of the enhancements in food that the US still insists are safe.

government or at least the state of Alabama is not discriminating against other illnesses yet.

pick on all the fat people... they are easy targets. just like the Japanese of world war 2 internment camps.

Next thing we will see is all the people who "violate" the laws sent to internment camps. Wow, bet some of the bigots here think that is a great idea - send the "fatties" away so the beautiful people don't have to see them anymore.

Nice. (NOT)

Must be nice to be one of those people who don't have to worry about health problems that affect their ability to maintain a healtheir weight. If only the rest of us were so lucky.

I agree with IMac. People who refuse to take responsibility for their behavior should be subjected to laws and regulations that enforce healthy lifestyles with sufficient warning. The state and the taxpayer should not be be obligated to indirectly nurture a non-healthy lifestyle.

I'm with mac. Just go to a mall,bus depot, airport etc. Oh don't forget 7/11's where
they sell the largest drinks known to mankind and the women that buy them are
at least 4 ax handles wide which shows they are only concerned with weighing MORE.
Sit in a mall and watch the thigh rubbers waddle by. It's disgusting. And to top it off
they wear tight pants.Wretch!

I'm obese, but no one has the right to say I am a burden on the health care system. I have an annual pap smear and mammogram, as recommended for a woman of my age. So let's see, that's one visit per year.

A co-worker who is not in the obese range is a hypochondriac. She makes doctor's appointments 3 to 4 times per month, for everything from mild sniffles to stubbed toes. She demands x-rays and lab works, insists she needs medications and generally just wants a doctor's attention. The cost of her care impacts the rate for all of the workers in our business, not to mention the lost productivity of having her out so often. Because we are state employees, there is an absurb level of job security. They should get rid of her for missing work, but they won't for fear that she might complain.

Maybe the real solution is making hypochondriacs and attention-seekers pay for doctors' visits where it was determined that nothing was wrong or that it was so minor that an OTC med would easily take care of it.

Getoutandstayout----

I used to ride amatuer Motocross at almost the pro-level until I was 19, then I had a complete knee reconstruction only to be followed up by a compound fracture of my femur, resulting in a titanium rod from hip to knee, 8 screws and a plate. Not to mention my years of broken ribs, sternum, collarbones and arthritis I now have settling in 8 years later. My body is wrecked, but I still try and EAT healthy, thats the difference. I work out maybe 3-4 times a week, and its only for about an hour, tops. But eating decent food and not pigging out on fast food and double cheeseburgers and 40 oz. sodas, does wonders...if only more people would just choose a chicken salad, instead of a fried chicken meal with super sized fries and extra large coke. Thats all.

the entire social framework is different in other foreign countries... they walk more, don't commute so far for work, have public transportation, less fast food/take out windows, their food does not come from million acre farms and trucked thousands of miles to the market.

if you like it so much over in another country.... move there!

stop hating others for something you dislike, don't be a hater

GetOffYourHighHorse---

"Maybe the real solution is making hypochondriacs and attention-seekers pay for doctors' visits where it was determined that nothing was wrong or that it was so minor that an OTC med would easily take care of it."

Wow. I'd bet a million of John McCains dollars that the ratio of obese Americans to hypochondriac's is 500 to 1. Come on now.

I don't hate on over weight people, I just think they should do THEMSELVES a favor and try and eat better, and at least take a walk. Look at pictures of American's 50 years ago, very few were overweight. Now look around you tomorrow when on your way to work, its pretty depressing. Just eat better, at least TRY, is all I'm asking from my fellow citizens.

derf-437950-

Good one. "If you don't like it, move." Profound. God forbid we have people who only want to better their country. I guess if its cool that a third of our population is obese, and almost an equal percentage for our CHILDREN, then I should. Because thats not an America to be proud of. Ignorance is bliss right Derf?

I MAC -

Just stop. Don't even start on saying your in the same league as those of us who really have no choice. I'd trade my illness for your 'physical' problems in a heart beat. When you lose the ability to use your muscles or deal with something on a cellular level that there is no treatment for, then I'll take what you say more seriously. Until then, your clueless just like the others.

I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be exceptions to the obese rule. Just a guess but its very likely that the big whoppin' $25 fee will be waved if it is a complication from another illness or due to drugs that have to be taken.

Patriot.. u r a nut! attack on liberties of our freedom? Freedom to what? suck down gigantic sodas at the theater and eat way more food in one sitting than one person needs? And this is not about those who have legitimate medical issues -- it sounds like all those who are trying to use that excuse mean that a majority of these fat Americans have some medical issue causing them to be fat and bloated. Stop with all the excuses -- Americans are the new Roman Empire... lazy, fat and waiting for the fall.

NSHAPE - what a bunch of BS you spew. Stay on the left coast with all the other beautiful, vapid, shallow people. Perhaps when the 'big one' hits; you and the rest will fall off the continent. Or, maybe if you are all so "fit" and lightweight, it will float and form an island for those who are 'perfect'.

Gag.

Socialism is characterized by the idea that all the people make relatively the same and pay the same regardless of how hard they work and what they do for a living.

That is why they call it 'socialized medicine' in other countries.

Making me pay for your health care when you do not take care of yourself is socialism, and furthermore, it takes away my "freedom" to use my money the way I would like to instead, I would have to pay for your lifestyle.

And "some bogus study?" Are you kidding me? I think obesity has been studied more than any real disease in the last decade.

So you are saying that you are healthier because you are over 300 pounds? Yeah, that makes sense. No one is saying that being skinny PREVENTS disease. But there is sound medical research that being obese puts you at risk for a greater amount of diseases. Maybe you should have kept the weight off and looked into why you were having problems.

What i am saying is that i am healthy in spite of being over three hundred pounds. I can still ride a bicycle or walk over ten miles, i can still work 14 hour days, i can still lift substantial amounts of weights. For someone to state that a person is unhealthy based upon there appearance or a BMI chart is what makes no sense. How can a person be punished without regard to their individual situation? Your statement "No one is saying that being skinny PREVENTS disease." if this is true then why are people trying to create a society where all people are skinny instead of healthy, again your statement "But there is sound medical research that being obese puts you at risk for a greater amount of diseases" Are they concentrating on the obesity of people or the health risks? as for your last comment "Maybe you should have kept the weight off and looked into why you were having problems." Would you continue, for years, to do something that made you sick and at risk of greater problems or would you stop doing what is causing the problem. The old joke Doctor when I do this it hurts. Well, , , then don't do that.

Excellent points. Employers could get rid of the fatty, sugary snack vending machines and provide fruit and veg. They could let employees out 1/2 hour early to go to the gym instead of demanding long hours (stress causes illness, too, let's remember) - or build a gym on-site, or offer a free membership at a local gym as a benefit ("join the gym, we'll take less of your pay for health insurance"). Or how about promoting 10-minute walking breaks for the entire company? (I had to fight my last employer to be able to take my state-law-allowed 10-minute breaks, and to be able to use my own break time for the activity of my choice: walking around the office park. He actually tried to argue that the break was intended for smokers! So what, you're allowed to take a break to make yourself sicker, but not to attempt the opposite?? Sorry, ranting...) They could offer more than one or two "healthy choices" meals on the cafeteria menu.

Such things are not unheard of, but are not very widespread, either.

I do have to disagree with the weight loss surgery option, though; true, that could be a valid choice for *some* people, but I believe that all the people I know who have had such surgery used it as the "easy way out" and never dealt with their psychological issues around food. All of which results in them still being a "burden" on the healthcare industry. (I.e. my aunt was recently hospitalized for weeks due to complications from elective weight loss surgery she had years ago.)

How is this communist? You are still free to eat as much garbage as you want. It's just that now, in Alabama, your fellow residents and taxpayers won't be supporting you in your quest for heart disease and diabetes.

People need to understand what communism and socialism are before they start using such big words. Maybe Alabama can use the extra money it is bringing in and put it into the school system.

True enough. Its discrimination and profiling, but not communism/socialism.

So who should pay the higher premium if YOU are diagnosed with cancer or some other expensive disease? It could happen to anyone...not just the overweight. My 34 year old cousin died of breast cancer, and she had never weighed more than 110 lbs. her whole life, never had any pre-disposition to the disease, no family history, nothing... Disease is not selective...it can happen to anyone at anytime...including you. And that is what makes healthcare more expensive. So let's quit singling out one group of society and blaming them for all of our healthcare problems.

Thyroid? Diabetic? More often than not these are not lifestyle issues, they are genetic. Should they pay for bad genes? Will we target skinny folks with high cholesterol? High blood pressure? What about the millions of skinny hypochondriacs?

While there may be a genetic component to diabetes, it is also true that diabetes is often brought on by obesity. So you may be genetically prone to diabetes and never get it because you exercise and maintain a healthy diet. And the article states that if there is a medical reason for the obesity, there are exceptions.

Fair enough, but what about thyroids? Its not about not doing anything. I agree that more needs to be done but discrimiation backed by bad science is a bad idea. Now and forever. Bad solutions are no better than inaction. Address the issue rather than use a blanket disriminatory policy.

Again, according to the article, a thyroid condition would be an exception. This is no more discrimination to me than drivers who get speeding tickets being charged higher premiums for car insurance.

I eat healthy and workout everyday - does that make me better than you?

Wake up.

Amen to that Michael

I, too, knew this would come way back when they targeted smoking and started banning smokers, taxing smokers, raising their premiums etc. EVERYONE who wasn't a smoker thought this was a great idea. They only looked at it from a standpoint of "it's an unhealthy habit, I don't like it" and they were happy that smokers were being villified for making a personal, legal choice. The real problem with all of this is the loss of freedom. It doesn't matter if you aren't a smoker, or if you aren't obese. One day they will target something that does affect you and then you will be sorry that you allowed them to chip away at our freedoms to the point that they can legislate any choices we make. I have read a lot of comments in this chain that make the same point and actually name some of the things that could happen next. Right now some companies can legally not hire you if you smoke. Next it will be ok to not hire you if you exceed a certain weight and while all of you are applauding these as wonderful things - wait a few years until they target something you do. The government has started this by targeting some habits and lifestyles that they know will garner support due to the "unpopularity" of these particular habits. You should not support this - not because you agree or disagree with obesity - but because it is an erosion of our freedom and tomorrow it will be your freedom they target.

Something just occurred to me. There's all this talk in these comments about how the healthy are subsidizing the unhealthy (in this argument, the obese)... Most health insurance plans have co-payments, deductibles, maximum coverage caps...

If someone is obese and going to the doctor more frequently, they're already paying (in addition to the insurance premium) more in co-payments, and reaching their annual maximums more quickly (after which, in a lot of cases, they'll have to pay completely out-of-pocket for their medical care).

Whereas someone who is healthier and is going to the doctor less is paying the same premium, but less in co-pays and other costs.

Just wanted to throw that out there for consideration.

I am an ex smoker subsidizing most of America since I only go to the docs for a checkup while the rest of you have rendered our antibiotics useless since you take them for colds.

Don't hold your breath. They want more money coming in, not going out.