'Bama proposing obese state emps. pay more for insurance

[Tenigma]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

This seems to make sense....as much as paying more for insurance if you are a smoker, but I find myself on the fence about it. Obese people typically have higher helath care costs.

I hope the state has a lot of money to pay out lawsuits.

Obesity, as others have mentioned, is very strongly linked to genetics. In addition, there are some scientists who believe obesity is NOT as unhealthy as we are all led to believe... it is LACK OF EXERCISE that's bad, not necessarily obesity.

What they could do is require X amount of exercise every week, X number of check-ups per year. Those are quantifiable. I don't think they could mandate people be skinny. What about thin people who are unhealthy, to start?

[Moonliner]

Why stop at weight?

As Alex pointed out certain diseases can be hereditary, tall people don't live as long,overly fit people actually have a higher mortality rate as do lefties and anyone that does not drink moderate amounts of alcohol.

Now with the advent of genetic testing there are all sorts of new windows opening for determining who is higher risk for the insurance industry.

[Betty]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Why stop at weight?

As Alex pointed out certain diseases can be hereditary, tall people don't live as long,overly fit people actually have a higher mortality rate as do lefties and anyone that does not drink moderate amounts of alcohol.

Now with the advent of genetic testing there are all sorts of new windows opening for determining who is higher risk for the insurance industry.

And then they could just start monitoring you right? Who says if you had one drink today you wouldn't have one tomorrow, or that you would have 10 tomorrow.

It works now because we all pay into it. Yeah - I may be fat... but you've got a family history of breast cancer and that guy over there is going to get lung cancer. We've ALL got something wrong with us now or will have something wrong someday. They would have to either exclude everyone or charge everyone more... hmmm...

Should I pay more my whole life because I'm overweight? If so, then you should go bankrupt when you (not YOU but - you in a general sense) get cancer and have to have surgery and chemo and all that. Right? It's only fair that if I have to pay more all along that when something really bad happens to you that you have to pay a hefty price then.

But that's the whole point of having health coverage isn't it? To avoid having to pay an enormous fee sometime in the future.

And what about the person who develops a disease after paying decades into it, and then gets told that they are no longer covered. Oh wait - that happens now already doesn't it.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Betty

And then they could just start monitoring you right? Who says if you had one drink today you wouldn't have one tomorrow, or that you would have 10 tomorrow.

And to reiterate what I just posted, it is a state agency proposing additional costs for the obese.

[Moonliner]

And I wonder if obese people really do have higher heath care rates overall. If on average they die younger they have less years to need health care. Over the long run they are less likely to need the cost of long term health care for issues like cancer or alzheimers because they would already be dead.

[Morrigoon]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

And I wonder if obese people really do have higher heath care rates overall. If on average they die younger they have less years to need health care. Over the long run they are less likely to need the cost of long term health care for issues like cancer or alzheimers because they would already be dead.

I've heard this before.