The Weight's Over: Should Fat People Pay More for Health Insurance?

In a previous blog, we questioned whether or not employers should encourage healthy lifestyles to increase productivity. If discounted gym memberships and healthy vending machine alternatives -- no doubt, placed next to Snickers bars -- don't do the trick, new regulations may.

Companies can now charge unhealthy (overweight) workers more for their health insurance premiums than their healthier (skinnier) colleagues. Jerry Ripperger, director of consumer health at Principal Financial Group, stated that before federal laws were clarified, at least one person called in monthly to ask if an overweight employee could be charged a higher premium. Far more people are calling in now; one employer wanted to drop coverage altogether for a worker with a high body mass index. That isn't an option, but the regulation does allow employers to "charge employees up to 20 percent of the value of the coverage if they don't play by the "keep-your-butt-skinny" rules."

Smokers around the world are no doubt mumbling a collective, "It's about time," between puffs on cigarette breaks. As Rand Research affirms, obesity poses greater health risks than smoking, but until now, only smokers were penalized with premium hikes.

Of course this begs the questions, what's next? Will we soon see increased premiums for people with troubled children? The resultant anxiety could translate into a whole lot of shrink visits for Paxil. Or what about hair loss? For some, this is a psychologically stressful situation, and therapy isn't cheap.

Here's another quandary: will higher insurance premiums actually improve US workers' overall health, or just cause people to pass on coverage?

(Office Temptations Image by jeffreywithtwof's)