Poll: Should Fat People Pay More for Health Insurance?

(istockphoto)

(CBS) Should fat people pay extra for medical insurance?

That question is now the subject of hot debate in Germany, after a prominent German politician said that obese people should foot the bill for the extra health-care costs associated with their unhealthy lifestyles.

"It's legitimate to ask the question if the immense costs that are caused by the excessive consumption of food should continue to be paid for by everyone else," Marco Wanderlitz, a member of parliament said on Thursday, Reuters reported. "I think that it would be sensible if those who deliberately lead unhealthy lives would be held financially accountable for that."

Germany may be the home of bratwurst and strudel, but it's no secret that America is  waging its own war on obesity and the costs of providing medical care for obesity-related illness.

In America, people get health insurance either from private insurers or the government - Medicare for seniors and Medicaid for the poor. For those with private insurance should they pay higher premiums? For those with government insurance, should they pay higher taxes?

What do you think? Weigh in.

[theywerestrongandgood]

I have always been something of a health nut, exercising, very slim, and eating right. I've had cancer twice, and bad heart valves run in my family. Should overweight people pay more than I do? A lot of thin people do drugs, though of course most do not. Should heavy people pay more than meth users. This is nonsense, nothing more than nanny government at work.

[pragmatist1]

If some feel that fat people should pay extra for their health insurance, consider the fact that verbiage in the horrendous healthcare reform bill exempts the likes of Scientologists, Amish, Christian Scientists, and Muslims from requirements to obtain health insurance under the reform bill and even excuses any penalties for not carrying it. If true, the president has acquiesced his socialism onto taxpaying non-scientologists, Amis, Christian Scientists and Muslims. We will now be forced to have to bear their burden and cover their going to hospitals, clinics, etc. to get medical attention. If these groups are to be excluded, then they should also be fully denied any government-funded healthcare in any form and at any location. This is worse than socialism. There is plenty in the Internet on this practice, especially as it pertains to Muslims; it's called "dhimmitude". The liberal media is deliberately ignoring this issue because they are the boot lickers of this president and don't want to offend him or any of these groups. If these groups want the privileges of this great nation, then they should participate and follow all of its laws, including the Constitution. Religious freedom indeed! More giveaways to these oppressors.

[slavosuch]

Btw. it is sad how the results of voting looks like.

[slavosuch]

German government makes in their health care sytstem often wrong decisions sometimes reuslting to the oxymorons like " physicians demonstrations for higher vages ". Instead of looking op to a reasons of obesity they try to put another one tax....I would say it wrong simplyfication and stupid decisison. Obesity is a dysease and should be treated as a dysease. DO they put new taxes on to other diagnosis too??

[SunnyDazey]

This is nuts! What is this world coming to? If the Government would stop SPENDING so much, no one would have to pay HIGHER taxes to bail them out. Germany first and America is following. Already, the sin tax on certain foods and the mandated BMI on our children. Do not get suckered into thinking any class of people should pay higher than another. It is a slippery slope and may come back to bite you in the ass!

[wyodutch]

Well said... well said.

[rockcutr]

We are all so worried about what causes what in the human condition. Then making the attempt to put a dollar value on the cost. Maybe start with making sure all illegal aliens are put on a bus home once stabelized. This little freebee once taken away would go a long long way toward lowering health care costs.
Oh, there are a few more things which could be done also. Force pharmesuticals to get real. They aint dealing in diamonds as the price of a few milligrams of chemicals and synthesized substances would reflect.
Stop all advertisements of perscription drugs.
We cannot purchase without a perscription anyway.
These are not things that should be marketed like fashion accessories. Either the numbers prove the product works or not. Can anybody get together and create a national/global database on what works and what does not. Those that do not must shut down sales and destroy the product. Or sell it to third world countrys as usual. Making friends everywhere.

[NC74392]

Just as long as it's applied evenly. Those with Bulemia, Anorexia, smokers, alcoholics, etc. should also pay more.
Let's also go after those runners and gym addicts who don't stretch properly before excercising. I mean, they DECIDED NOT TO stretch properly so they should pay more for their carelessness.
If you believe fat people WANT to be fat, you're crazy. They have just as much of a disease as an alcoholic. The difference? The obese use food as their placative.
All fat people need is more stress like paying more for their health care. THAT'll help them! Buncha' stupies...

[perish2]

If you are fat and have a heart attack and die at an early age, you have saved immeasurable amount of money over healthy people. Healthy people drag on into their 80s and 90s and usually have had a few operations and take multiple medicines and then end up in nursing homes and assisted living centers. They drag on getting social security and pensions for decades after they quit working. A 90 year old healthy person might run up costs to the million mark over a person who dies at 55. Sure, at 55 the ubhealthy person might have cost more, but, you have to factor in the difference of years. The most economically sound thing a person can do for insurance and government is to be unhealthy and die. Healthy people are selfish and unpatriotic.

[dmwj2]

I think life makes us unhealthy...

[choiceshaveconsequences]

Living is unhealthy. Living things die. Every time.

[rocketjl]

Obama strategy issue 34. This basic decision requested is based strictly on weight and not on health. Get sucked in on this one and down the road, it forms the basis to tax all sugar added drinks, fast food and pizza. Who cares about health look how much extra taxes we can get. Remember cigarette taxes and how much money we got to spend for new things. Sounds logical and healthy in the beginning, then more and more, until we get new taxes. Mrs. Obama was asked to this off several months ago and then everything began to come up. Don't forget the VAT that Pelosi wants to hit us with. They haven't.