Alabama has the privilege of being the first state in the country to implement employee paid health insurance, if they are obese. The Alabama State Employees' Insurance Board will charge $25 a month fee to any state worker with a BMI of 35 or above, unless they show weight loss progress.
The Los Angeles Times reported this approval last week. Apparently, employees will have until the first month of 2010 to lose weight. Alabama is currently penalizing state employees for other unhealthy habits, such as smoking. A smoker has to pay $24 a month for their insurance. If you are a smoker and obese, you will be forking over $49 a month. A board member says, We are trying to get individuals to become more aware of their health."
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.
There seems to be many responses to this answer. Most of the cons come from teh actual obese Alabama residents.
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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KOffice Projects Rock KDE's Google Summer of Code 2008
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