What is Digg?251 Comments
- WordsnCollision, on 08/26/2008, -17/+83An excellent idea akin to a user fee. Don't want to pay? Get fit and you'll use public health services less. As for the fee discriminating against the homeless and poor... if you can afford to be fat, you can afford to pay for the consequences.
- aussieNickuss, on 08/27/2008, -3/+44BMI is a stupid way to judge somebodies weight. Football players have a higher BMI than morbidly obese people.
- BrettFromTibet, on 08/26/2008, -9/+45I think this is a great idea.. the unhealthiest people are the ones who ruin health care costs for everyone. I think that the $25 fee is very nominal compared to the actual health costs incurred by people with preventable, chronic health conditions (like obesity).
- inactive, on 12/07/2008, -14/+38Have you ever been to Alabama? I was born there and love the college football, but they have to be one of the fattest states ever. The reason? Fried food and everyone is broke. You can't afford lean meat and fresh vegetables on welfare.
- jcharak58, on 08/26/2008, -19/+39This is retarded. I'm 5' 10" and weigh 220 lbs. That gives me a BMI of 31.6 I am in the gym at least 4 days a week for weightlifting and running.
Lets put it this way. My chest can easily fill a size 48 suit (then I get it altered to take in midsection since I don't need as big of the rest). Now a 48 suit gets between 42-43 inch waisted pants. My waist is 34-36 inches depending on the pant and how they are cut. My build, more fit than the majority of people, would put me into the overweight categoty because BMI does not take into account body fat percentage.
Celebrities who are 'obese' (over 30)
Tom Cruise 31
Sylvester Stallone (5-9, 228 pounds, BMI of 34)
Mel Gibson (5-9, 214 pounds, BMI of 32)
Mark McGwire (6-5, 250 pounds, BMI of 30)
Arnold S (6-2, 257 pounds, BMI of 33) - davidg11, on 08/27/2008, -0/+20Um, you guys read the article?
It says a BMI of greater than 35 (that's 35.1 and more)
None of your celeb stats are 36 and above. - aralls, on 08/27/2008, -0/+19I wonder what percentage of people are in your position - they they work out so much the BMI isn't accurate for them. Coming from one of the fattest cities in America (KC), I'm guessing 1%.
- marsbeyond, on 08/27/2008, -5/+22Skinny people get all the sex. So they are all responsible for HIV. I think there should be an HIV tax on all the skinny people!
- davidg11, on 08/27/2008, -9/+25This is an EXCELLENT idea!
Why do I need to pay for smokers or tubby in my health insurance? - jorazzle, on 08/27/2008, -1/+16And notice that none of those are over 35
- geodebug, on 08/27/2008, -7/+22Why just pick on the fatties? Why not those who drink any alcohol, have an existing disease like cancer, are over 40, drive a motorcycle, own a cell phone and a driver's license, participate in injury-prone sports, have an office job, infertile couples, fertile couples, have allergies, meat eaters ....
Oh yeah, because fat people are easy targets. - Wogger, on 08/27/2008, -0/+14What about smokers? I'm sorry, but if I have to pay extra, the person outside smoking a pack a day has to pay extra too.
- inactive, on 08/27/2008, -1/+14People who don't look a certain way or have certain diseases should be taxed. It's only fair and equal.
- flickrdoodle, on 08/26/2008, -4/+17So, if I give up my business, move to Alabama, get a state job and gain a bunch of weight I can get health insurance for just $25/month? Tempting!
- TheNakedChef, on 08/27/2008, -7/+20I'm yet to see starving people who are fat. Eat cheap and right, not cheap and crap.
- flabber, on 08/27/2008, -0/+13Exercise is free though. As long as you get some exercise in, you can usually eat what you want in moderation.
- shawnanigans, on 08/27/2008, -0/+13Do you have any idea how much thetans weigh?
- davidg11, on 08/27/2008, -4/+17I thought Alabama was full of wild game, fish and farms.
How can you not afford it? It's right freakin in your back yard! - fuxxx, on 08/27/2008, -0/+12As people have said, obesity (in America at least) is strongly correlated with lower income and poverty.
- David513, on 08/27/2008, -4/+16Everyone is broke in Alabama? Everyone's on welfare? That would be news to the people I know here in Birmingham, most of whom are upper middle class. Yes, there are certainly poor urban neighborhoods and pockets of poor rural people, but painting with the broad brush you're using is called stereotyping. It's hard enough to fight ignorant Hollywood stereotypes of trailers and ignorant hicks without plumbing. You'd think that someone who has (presumably) been here lately would present a more honest and balanced view. People should visit some of the incredibly nice areas of quite a few state cities, particularly Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile, before believing the ignorance they've been spoon-fed about us. I can show you great ugliness (just as I could pretty much anywhere), but I could also show you places that would amaze you, especially because of the lifestyle value for the money.
- QuantumBios, on 08/27/2008, -1/+13In related news, lawyers all over Alabama started simultaneously drooling .
- khouros, on 08/27/2008, -2/+14Guaranteed way to meet this benchmark:
1. Stop eating the slop they call "fast food" (cutting out all food with trans-fats is also pretty essential)
2. Exercise for a half hour a few times a week if your work doesn't involve physical activity.
Start with this (and stick with it) and you'll be feeling and looking a lot better after some time. As for the whole "convenience" argument that obesity-epidemic-deniers like to throw around (Sometimes I just don't have the time! weee!)... it takes no more than 3 minutes for me to make a couple of PPJ sandwiches (not the healthiest, but tons better than fast food) and throw them in a bag with some fruit.
"Many obese people lead a healthy lifestyle and are still obese"
I hate to be name-calling, but this is the biggest load of crap I've seen in a while. I'm not going to call bloodrave obese and in denial, but I wouldn't be surprised. - davidg11, on 08/27/2008, -3/+14Why?
You're 32 not over 35
Am I the only one reading this article? - j3rm1981, on 08/27/2008, -1/+12Yes, you can eat all the junk food you want, but it doesn't mean you should be able to force Alabama to pay for your sorry ass having a heart attack at 35 years of age because you have a thing for Twinkies and Big Macs.
Private insurance companies do the same thing - they use risk assessments and health checks to see how likely they are to have to pay out on your behalf and adjust your fees accordingly. "Do you smoke", "Do you drink alcohol" "How much exercise do you get per week" - these are all questions we have all faced at some point when signing up for insurance.
And let's face it...a BMI of 35 leaves you a helluva big window of weight gain before they start charging you a pitiful $25 for it all.
I say this as a guy who use to weigh 15 stone and now weighs only 10.5 (210 pounds down to 145). - ThinkBox, on 08/27/2008, -0/+11I wouldnt say everyone is broke. The major cities are nice. Also you have to remember, there are only around 5 million people in the state.
- shawnanigans, on 08/27/2008, -0/+11Maybe it would help if the USDA didn't classify fruits and vegetables as "specialty" crops so they get no subsidies, while corn gets massive subsidies.
- darienphoenix, on 08/27/2008, -4/+14I'm not fat! I'm big boned!
- xaxxon, on 08/27/2008, -0/+10I don't understand that. Excersize takes energy. Eating provides energy. Use the same amount as you eat and you don't gain weight. How do you get around the math and physics involved to say it's biological? I'm not saying it's not, I'm just curious where the fuzz factor is.
- spyd3rweb, on 08/27/2008, -7/+16The solution: get the government out of healthcare.
- absurdist, on 08/27/2008, -1/+10Yeah, but you have to live in Birmingham... *shudder*
- bjornski, on 08/27/2008, -0/+9Just to remind those that don't know.
That's TIm Pawlenty. One of the guys McCain might pick as VP.
You won't pay taxes. You'll pay "user fees".
The infrastructure of the nation will fall apart, but the sports stadiums will be FANTASTIC! - munn311, on 08/27/2008, -0/+9should people with a BMI of 16 (the level indicative of anorexia) also have to pay more? they will have additional health issues as related to their condition, which in turn, will cost the collective more. so, certainly they should be charged more as well.
another group to consider is those on anti-depressants. i mean, those pills cant be cheap and really those people taking them just need a little encouragement to cheer up. im sure the idea of not having to pay $300 more a year would be all the encouragement they'd need.
while we're at it, how about we just charge anyone that might ever actually want to use their insurance a little more. i mean, its only fair. they cost the rest of us so much money. so, ultimately it will be free to anyone that won't use it, and everyone else has to pay. it think this would encourage everyone to be much more healthy. - Soave, on 08/27/2008, -3/+12That's $25 less for them to spend on food each month, so the problem solves itself!!
Seriously though, I think this is a good idea, and I also think cigarette smokers should be paying extra too. - Ravatar, on 08/27/2008, -0/+9Uh? Any company could decide to do this.
- sliksta, on 08/27/2008, -2/+10bloodrave give us a break
The vast majority of overweight people do not have a genetic problem. They have a willpower problem. - ThinkBox, on 08/27/2008, -1/+9Alabama is seriously overweight. They have a lot of really good fried foods and thus, a lot of really fat people.
Cheaper food is fried so it will taste better, and Alabama isnt a very wealthy place. The major cities are a little different, but the state has a weight problem overall. - CrimsonBlur, on 08/27/2008, -0/+8Hold on a second, where did you even get those stats? I highly doubt getting celeb stats online is an accurate source. For instance, I call shenanigans on Tom Cruise having a BMI of 31. He would have to weigh 200lbs, he's only 5'7".
The other thing you have to keep in mind is that people that have a skewed BMI due to extreme muscle-mass account for, at most, a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the general populace. I don't think it would be a problem for these people to get an exemption from such legislation, and no one in their right mind is looking at them and thinking about their BMI. - tracespeck, on 08/27/2008, -0/+8If you choose to be fat then why should everyone else pay for your extra health care?
- kplo, on 04/01/2009, -3/+11there was an Esquire Magazine april fool story like this a while back....
- Mungo616, on 08/27/2008, -0/+8bloodrave, if they have a plausible genetic or medical condition I'm pretty sure such a thing will be taken into consideration.
- ThinkBox, on 08/27/2008, -0/+7(that's prolly an EXTRA 25$/month)
Real estate is very cheap in Alabama. Its very pretty there too.
A lot of wealthy people live in Birmingham. There, 1-5 Million can buy a house that you'd need 5-20 Million anywhere else. - djruden, on 08/27/2008, -5/+12bloodrave is obese and in denial that all the fast food he eats is partly to blame.
- RUGERSP101, on 08/27/2008, -1/+8***** fatties always full of excuses
- bjornski, on 08/27/2008, -2/+9You start getting into further health problems when you remove some of those amino acids and proteins from your diet, too.
You vegetarians should be charged an extra $25 a month to cover the anemia that comes with not getting enough meat in your diet. - bjornski, on 08/27/2008, -1/+8"It's not a tax, it's a 'user-fee'".
Or at least that's how our Governor likes to phrase things in Minnesota. - sodade, on 08/27/2008, -1/+7They are too fat to hunt!
- sliksta, on 08/27/2008, -0/+6"a strong genetic component"
I keep hearing this. Maybe it's true for a very few, but I guarantee that most obese people simply don't eat right and exercise properly. Guaranteed. - bjornski, on 08/27/2008, -1/+7It's not weird.
It's cherry-picking examples. That's all. -
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