Incentives Part 2
Execupundit notes that Alabama is the first state to charge a higher health insurance rate to employees who are overweight. I can see the reasoning behind it, but I’d rather see rewards for being healthy (i.e. a discounted rate for every with a BMI (Body Mass Index) under xxx , loss of x pounds, lowering your cholesterol or going to the gym at least x times a year). They could be fact checked with Dr.’s records etc. I would imagine insurance companies could figure out what discount still allows them to save money due to improved health. Some would call it discrimination, but my feeling is that for the vast majority of people, being overweight or not exercising is a choice. I’m a big guy, but that’s because I had bad habits for a number of years (drinking too much coke, late night fast food and not enough exercise). All choices made by me. It’s hard to change them and will probably take a number of years to counteract them. My brother has the exact same genes and he’s in great shape, so I have no excuses. I think an economic incentive (rather than the punishment that Alabama is using) would be much more effective than banning trans fats etc. With the rising costs of health care, I think we need to look at all options. Has anyone else seen much of this in the HR world?
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