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Overweight? Prepare to Pay Up

abcnews.go.com — With health-care costs rising, some large employers are taking radical new steps to cut corners: They're charging overweight employees a fee if they don't slim down.

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  • BassMastr, on 10/10/2007, -28/+109It's about freaking time...go ahead and take some extra money from smokers too!
    • phunlee, on 10/10/2007, -13/+19Oh. He is retarded. He's been making these sorts of comments for a month or so now. Totally Retarded.

      We can throw in pregnant women, too. They are a huge expense in healthcare.
      • Dustmuffins, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Pregnancy is a natural part of live.
    • joeshlub, on 10/10/2007, -12/+24Smokers already pay taxes on cigarettes. In some states it's upwards of $2/pack. I'd say they're paying enough extra already.
      • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4No, they arnt. They end up costing far more than that in heath bills.
    • holygram, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1avacado bicycle, IMHO.
    • binaryspiral, on 10/10/2007, -2/+15How about the uninsured folks... they cost us more than all the obese insured people in this country.

      Yes, that includes undocumented people who show up in emergency rooms with their families. But it also includes the homeless, unemployed, employed people that can't afford their insurance, drug users who's insurance don't cover their addiction costs any longer, AND (my favorite) the person who's insurance has reached their maximum payout... so now they're uninsured because of a expensive medical condition.

      Obese people are a drain on the health care industry - but they shouldn't be singled out and targeted for this *****. Wake up people...
      • Jobu71x, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0So what is the alternative solution? Ignore it and let the problem grow?
      • Scheissen, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6Let me guess, you're fat teetering on obese?

        Do you not realize the fallacy of your argument? How can uninsured folks pay more for health care if they don't have insurance? That is a damn stupid way to make this topic mute, by equating it to uninsured people. I bet insurance companies are loving every minute of you. Fat people are a liability to maintaining a business because it is a fact that overweight people take more days off and are less productive than someone who isn't.

        And obese people are not singled out; employers adopted this same strategy to deal with their smokers.
        • member57, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Let me guess you are a ***** moron...
          Fat people are less of a burden than smokers, drug addicts, and stupid people.
          How about charging more for gays? Increased risk of HIV and other STDs the "numbers" prove it?
          • binorgog, on 08/07/2008, -1/+2Straight people are spreading HIV faster than homosexuals.
          • BassMastr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Only becuase there are more of them...gays have a higher risk...
      • Ndric, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4Shut your dirty mouth fatty
        • orlyfactor, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2haha - seriously. put down the KFC and get to a ***** gym.
    • WildBil, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4OK - How about Genetic testing and a full family history on the application form, and if you come from short lived families or have a Bad Genotype we don't insure you or it costs a lot more?
      Lets include Accidental deaths as well as this is mostly caused by carelessness and stupidity and those are passed on via these 2 factors as well..
      Run this type of POGROM for a few generations and we will have created a new Master race....
      The IDEA behind Insurance isn't to make BASIC coverage available to Everyone by spreading the AVERAGE RISK around Right?
      Of course you will have wiped out genetic diversity, but we all know everything about what the race should select for right? No New wasting Disease is going to show up and favor fattys, and the increasing pollution in the world will never favor people that have a higher ability to detoxify there body's of poisons so lets get them all out of the gene pool now!
      We All Know For SURE What is Good and Bad for you and never make mistakes.
      After all none of those fattys or smokers are successful people that contribute to society, and uptight Assholes & mass murderers are all fat smokers (that idea of jolly nice fat people or less stressed people smoking and drinking is all BS right?)
    • Dush, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1How about a law where they just direct deposit every fat person's paycheck into an assigned skinny person's bank account.
      I'm sure that would motivate some weigh loss real quick.
    • fuckinhell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2THey already do charge smokers extra. Which would be find IF they would cover the costs to quit smoking but they don't. That is not fair.
  • Heggy, on 10/10/2007, -14/+9Haha, 'large' employers. . . anyway.

    Something like a government tax on the overweight was proposed in Britain, don't think it got taken seriously though. It might now, if this sort of thing holds up.

    The disabilities thing shouldn't stop them, the people chose to eat too much, where as you don't choose to be paralysed or anything like that.
  • EdgeTX, on 10/10/2007, -24/+9Ok, let me start by saying I totally agree with giving overweight people initiatives to lose weight. But isn't this illegal. Damn I'm glad I'm in the military and this is mandatory. "No Fatties allowed".

    Doesn't this violate some sort of discrimination policy or law in the commercial workspace?
    • SinkToTheBeat, on 10/10/2007, -6/+16It sure as hell shouldn't be illegal, healthy people already pick up the slack for all the unhealthy people with their insurance bills thanks to government regulations. Maybe this will even things up a bit.
    • jonohull, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4Exactly. In my town we buy garbage bags from the city. It means people who make more trash pay more to have it taken away. It just makes sense.
    • FTLJohnson, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Maybe instead we should simply eliminate the laws that force insurance companies to provide insurance at the same rates to smokers and overweight people. I guess that wouldn't make money for the government though. Now they get to charge the insurance companies if they don't follow the rules, and I'm sure eventually they'll be able to make laws with regard to companies charging overweight people extra to cover the insurance... It's a win win situation for the government, they can pull people into court (thusly making money) on BOTH sides... the companies, AND the individuals. (but this is a good thing though... right?)
  • Alphateam, on 10/10/2007, -25/+52This is so great. I should get a benefit for not eating a whole box of Ho-Ho's on my break. Charge the fatties for their crime. Boo-hoo your fat. Cry your tears around the block a few times. There is this lady I work with that needed her own personal laser printer because she didn't want to walk 15 feet to the printer. I finally talked her boss in to taking it away when she was on summer break.
    I'm sure we will get a bunch of fatties crying and saying it isn't their fault.
    I'm sorry your lifestyle choice makes you a bigger health risk. Diabetes, heart attacks, the list goes on and on. I should not have to subsidize your bypass because you can't drive by a McDonalds and not grab a Big Mac.
    • joeshlub, on 10/10/2007, -10/+11Amen, brother.
    • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I agree. And I am fat. I accept responsibilty for my lifestyle, and that it should cost me more for insurance.
    • Teku, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Dude, you sound like a bitter *****, you should seek help, maybe eat a few ho-ho's yourself. Was that woman's printer really impacting your life in such a profound way so as to drive you to put a stop to it? I understand but do not agree with your points about subsidizing other's decisions, but there is a difference between someone who is seeking a fair arrangement and someone who is a flat out *****, you would be the latter (from all appearances in you post).

      Personally I am not fat, I am dead sexy, but I subsidize people's poor decisions every year when I pay thousands in taxes so unemployed losers can survive and breed more unemployed losers, at least these fat people have jobs, thats awesome.
  • ViRaZ, on 10/10/2007, -6/+35So who's the first guy to tell the 350lb employee that he is going to be taxed for being overweight? .........Anyone?
    • SteaminTmann, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7You just tell him... and then run.
    • tehpwnrate, on 10/10/2007, -7/+7"You see, the great thing about robbing a fat guy is the easy getaway; they can't really chase you."
    • xturmn8r, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11Me. I would tell them honestly. The conversation would go something like this. "You are more prone to disease because of your lifestyle choices. You lose weight, or you get paid less to compensate for your increased insurance cost. We have health club memberships at no additional cost to you. The choice is yours."
      • greevar, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13Tell that to the overweight single parent working two jobs to keep the bank from foreclosing on the mortgage. Some people truly don't have time to take care of themselves because they have to satisfy the needs of others.
        • xturmn8r, on 10/10/2007, -6/+6I don't buy it. Eating healthy takes so little effort it's ridiculous. In other words, I would have no problem telling her that she could stick around to see her kids longer if she was healthier.
        • Ndric, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3hahaha. all they have to do is change their diet and they would slim down. Slowly, but surely

          Most people are fat because they're lazy.
        • DMDekoth, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1The system is backwards. It should be rewarding those in the healthy range, not punishing those out of it.. but that would cost them money.
  • Richandler, on 10/10/2007, -18/+8Fat people should pay their share instead of making other peoples heathcare cost more.

    I find it funny when I see and article saying that Americans see fat as normal and then millions of people beg for universal healthcare.
  • epj3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12My company has a $400 incentive/supplement program, encouraging you to loose weight or lower your cholesterol. That's on top of an additional $600 supplement for making 2 to 4 calls a year, determining your health risks and enrolling in a program to prevent costly problems in the future.

    They already do tack on an extra $500 for smokers/tobacco users.
    • Jobu71x, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1The problem with incentives for weight loss as the people who already take care of their health lose out. Similar to many jobs I had in high school where employees who smoked got extra breaks to smoke... Motivating people to take up smoking just to get out of the store/shop/restaurant.
      • jhuebel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2They don't actually lose out though. When a program is successful (which may not happen often in the US), the people who already take care of themselves reap the benefits by receiving cheaper insurance.
  • ddxChrist, on 10/10/2007, -7/+30An optional incentive program is acceptable; however, penalizing employees for their private lifestyles is downright rude. Are they going to start forcing you to eat their preprepared health meals? Give me a break. If they want to cut down on costs, they should provide incentives, information, and the appropriate opportunities to manage their health, but don't attempt to regulate it.

    Who knows. Maybe the target employee started smoking, drinking, and eating like a pig due to the excessive workload and stress shoved on his back from his employer.
    • MasterThief117, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2You bring up a good argument. However, I will add on it. The company should have plans to help them lose wight, such as free gym membership or something like that. They can monitor those who use the free gym membership, and if an employee does not use it, they get a pay deduction.
      Also, if exercise reduces stress in most cases. If a fat person is stressed from work, they should go run laps. It will make them feel better.
      • p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9So you want a corporation to monitor the personal habits of its employees to determine if they are in compliance with corporate standards? Do you know how ***** insane that is?
        • Jobu71x, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1You are right. A corporation cannot delve into the personal lives of its employees. That and a number of reasons are why a penalty is the only way it can work.
        • MasterThief117, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I see where you are going. Yeah, the more I think about it, the more retarded my idea is.
    • awhiteflame, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4How is a "Skinny Bonus" any better than a "Fat Tax"?
  • juicebag, on 10/10/2007, -3/+14Depends on how overweight you mean. a 500 pound person I can understand but charging someone who weighs 170 pounds is dumb.
    • LowRentDiggs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8That's one problem. Insurance companies use BMI as a means to judge "fitness". I am 5'10" and the maximum weight I can before I am overweight on the BMI scale is 174 lbs. I could be 190lbs with 10% bodyfat and be a lot healthier than someone who weighs 140 lbs with gobs of visceral fat (inner belly, the worst kind) and can't run a mile.
      • rdoger6424, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Get a doctor to give you a test of your body fat of some kind and bring that to your insurance company.
        • LowRentDiggs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1And what about the 150 lb guy with high body fat? He gets the lowest rate regardless.
    • Jobu71x, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Weight cannot be the sole criteria. Body fat percentage, blood pressure, and cholesteral need be.
  • firrebutt, on 10/10/2007, -7/+3good.
    • neoform, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4Amen. I'm tired of this "it's ok to be fat" crap. It's unhealthy and it's not normal.
      • p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7Same with being gay.
        • happytron, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Well, being gay is correlated with risky behavior although it doesn't directly cause you to be unhealthy. That said, I'm not sure how concerned insurance companies are with the difference between causation and correlation.
        • Divals, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Happytron: I think he was being sarcastic.
  • UtopiaInTheSky, on 10/10/2007, -14/+5I'm skinny so I'm safe. That said, tax those fatties! You're laziness has not gone unnoticed.
    • palatka, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How much do you have to do each day to stay skinny?
    • JavertHolmes, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Hello, UtopiaInTheSky, I've noticed that you've joined Digg on July 16, 2007, and in the span of approximately 25 days have Dugg up 186 stories and made 200+ comments. Given these statistics and our proprietary mathematical modeling accurate to 99.9% 93% of the time, we were able to conclude that you lead a sedentary lifestyle despite your healthy weight and are a larger health risk

      Your premiums have been adjusted accordingly and are enclosed. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
  • joklem, on 10/10/2007, -2/+12If they change what they consider overweight, sure. Right now, you have to be a pogo stick to not be classified as overweight. Even the obese category is retarded.

    http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
    • greevar, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I know what you mean. My BMI is well over 30 (43.7). I'm 6'3" and I weigh 350 lbs. My BMI doesn't reach an acceptable number until I weigh in at 160-180 lbs. I would dangerously thin if I weighed that much. 200 to 250 lbs. would be a much more appropriate weight for me.
    • Dustmuffins, on 10/10/2007, -0/+120.7, what do I win?

      Hopefuly I can eat it o_O
  • chris9902, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3You know a time will come when they have the power to turn down whoever they want anyway. How many things can be affected by what you eat over your life time? Ok you're not 500lbs but you're BMI is high enough that a doctor can just say it's because of that and refuse to treat you.
  • realclark, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5yeah.....and its not like it will hurt there self esteem or anything
    • Jobu71x, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2Fat people's self esteem should be hurt. You should not have pride in your physical appearance when you are grossly overweight.
      • Volatile, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3People's weight and self image and their business and theirs only. I'm slightly overweight and I'm perfectly okay with it. I don't see what business you or anybody else has when it comes to my or any other overweight person's body image.
        • Jobu71x, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Volatile, you have my apologies, as I am also slightly overweight and comfortable with it. I have a problem with people who are morbidly obese and are proud of their size. The acceptability of being overweight needs to go out the window.
  • mpn401, on 10/10/2007, -3/+13RONALD MCDONALD IS THE NEW JOE CAMEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • JavertHolmes, on 10/10/2007, -7/+36This is a fantastic idea. Next, we should make people with bad driving records, alcohol drinkers, other regular drug users (over, behind, and beyond the counter; self-medicators), people who anger easily, people with lower education levels, people with gambling problems, sedate people who watch more than 1 hour of TV a day, sedate people who use the internet more than 1 hour a day, people whose jobs involve sitting at a computer all day, people who overexercise, people who undereat, people who have promiscuous sex, self mutilators, people who have attempted suicide, people with anxiety disorders, the elderly, and people who have had more than 2 children pay more for health care as all of them statistically cost us more.

    Are you someone in the above group? See the problem here?
    • Aelbric, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15As a former smoker, I can tell you that this is what it will come to. Don't smoke anymore. It became far too expensive. I guess the campaign to demonize smoking worked on me if you really think about it. I still think it should be personal choice and that all the anti-smoking regulations are blatantly fascist.

      All you folks who cheered for the anti-smoking laws, I assure you, your bad habits are next. Hope you are all prepared to reap what you have sown.
      • acceleriter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Preach it, brother. The nanny state is all well and good until her jackboots come down on THEIR habits.
      • bizchris, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1I'm ready - bring it on.

        There are plenty of vices to get through before it gets to any that start impacting me, so I'll welcome the tradeoff if those have been addressed first.
    • Jobu71x, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Nope. What is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Heart disease. Not to mention diabetes, and certain types of cancer that are obesity related. Address the biggest (pun intended) problems first and go from there.

      source: http://origin.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr53/nvsr53_15.pdf
    • onTheJDAR, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The operative phrase is "go from there". The point JavertHolmes is making is that such fees are the first (or second) down a slippery slope where private lifestyle choices are judged and penalized by employers. I understand, of course, the fairness of the plan. However, it would need to be all or nothing; why should alcoholics get a free ride while their non-drinking counterparts pay for their binge drinking?

      The cleanest and fairest solution, of course, is allowing each person find and pay for their own medical insurance, instead of letting employers tax your paycheck before it is printed and buy what is at best the top insurance package for the average worker, not necessarily the insurance you would have opted for. Then everyone gets the coverage they want and pays what they deserve to pay.
  • cfd339, on 10/10/2007, -5/+22And how will they measure? I'm 5'9" and weight 210 pounds. If you check the BMI charts, I am obese. Now, it happens I'm also a firefighter, have a 36" waist, a 50" chest, and can drag a 200 pound test dummy out of a building from the third floor while wearing 70 pounds of gear and breathing through a regulator; or can dive out a second story window onto a ground ladder head first in the dark and smoke, flip, and come down on my feet -- also while wearing 70 pounds of gear and breathing through a regulator.

    They'll need to be careful how they assess overweight, I think.
    • LowRentDiggs, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Yes, BMI by itself is a ridiculous barometer. All NFL linebackers and tailbacks are obese by BMI standards. I bet almost every one of them has less than 12% bodyfat.
    • holygram, on 10/10/2007, -17/+4Holy *****, you're cool.

      [/sarcasm]
    • thecompkid, on 10/10/2007, -13/+3Something's telling me that you're a 16 year old, 300 pound fatass with no self esteem.

      Either that, or your IQ is even smaller than your waist measurement.
    • Calcularius, on 10/10/2007, -3/+10Video or it didn't happen.
    • Radian, on 10/10/2007, -9/+5And you stopped patting yourself on the back long enough to type this??? Wow! You're awesome.
    • H0tKarl, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6Only a second story window? Pussy.
    • gbro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5The BMI was not designed for health assessment of Mesomorph body types. Anyone who uses only the BMI for assessing health levels is in error.
    • marastara, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1amen to that, i thought the same thing and you can be very unhealthy skinny too, like osteoperosis, heart failure, digestive issues...so what is it gonna come down too and what if someone is pregnant? And still why can't i get a bonus? I don't smoke and am not overweight, so i miss out of making $1000?
    • rockefeller, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I just got an image of a gorilla pounding on his chest.
  • smacksaw, on 10/10/2007, -2/+15I feel sorry for the person who has to tell their Samoan employees that. Samoans are proud of their size and culturally don't take that sort of ***** from anyone.
    • H0tKarl, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7I think the average Samoan could eat an average American in one sitting.
  • electronicmaji, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11[sarcasm] Of course this will fix everything because everybody who is obese is obese because they eat too much! [/sarcasm]

    People get your priorities straight.....If theres anything that makes people obese its a simple item called HFCS and its in EVERYTHING.
    until its replaced with normal sugar nothing will change.

    funny story I lived in south america 4 months this year during which I lost 20 pounds. I did not change my diet. I was simply eating a drinking things that used sugar instead of HFCS
    • p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6That'll never happen, because Corn owns America.
    • gridbread, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Maybe we should just stop our bickering with Cuba and get a hold of some nice cheap cane sugar.
      Or import more of the soft drinks and products from Mexico that also use it.
      • p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3America places tariffs on imported sugar to protect its homegrown sugar and corn crops.
    • Calcularius, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5also poisonous, non-natural hydrogenated fats.
    • IllBeBack, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Stop whining about HFCS and do some ***** sit-ups.
    • M4tt3r, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That and certain medical conditions. People need to look up [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome], it's usually associated with thyroid cancer. I guess ignorance, is bliss.
  • ultrahombre, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5Hmmmmm
    Natural Selection anybody?
  • cgomez, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5Good.

    I'm not the slimmest guy in the world and I should have to pay more or get fewer benefits as a trade off for my higher-risk factors for health problems rather than making the staff as a whole bear the costs disproportionately.
  • aantix, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Uh oh, time to get into shape ( http://www.RunFatBoy.net ). It may cost you money.
  • pseudononymist, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7based on how comments are being dugg, it's clear there are a lot of fat people on digg... sensitive much?
    • mracid70, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4No, not fat people, but piece of ***** judgmental pricks. Who the ***** gave you people the right to look at someone and judge them like you're so much better? I may not be fat but I can feel empathy for someone who is, and I certainly wouldn't spew this hateful ***** at them. I'm willing to bet that each and every one of you leaving these comments is doing to feel better about your miserable, pathetic existences. Sure, you don't weigh 400 lbs but that doesn't make you less of a loser if you spend your time in your mom's basement playing World of Warcraft and insulting fat people online.
      • Monk22, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1whatever you ***** cry baby, i eat ***** fast food everyday. I'm not fat not even out of shape. and you know how much exercise i do a week, 0 hours. i don't work out ever, I'm super lazy but I'm not stupid enough to stuff my face all day and expect to stay this way. take your dinner, cut it in half and eat the rest tomorrow fatty.
      • pseudononymist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Mracid, fatness is not a judgment. You either are fat or you're not. There are scientific measures (BMI) to determine this. Like Monk here, I'm a skinny *****, and kind of an ***** too, but I do sympathize with the plights of many people, just not fat ones. Why? While I'm sure there are a small number of fat people whose weight is determined solely at the whim of their DNA, most fat people do not have to be fat--the simplest proof of this I can give is the very clear statistic that there are more fat people per capita in the US than anywhere else, which strongly suggests we're stuffing ourselves to long, drawn-out deaths. China is beginning to face the same problem since already delivering most of its people from poverty. Fat people in cities especially--but, by and large most people are still far thinner than Americans. Why? They don't eat so much crap, and they get more exercise by not driving as much as we do.

        And while they may not mean to do it, fat people who can't seem to lose weight are deceiving themselves and others by eating snacks, junk food, etc. and not telling anyone, but then complaining that nothing works. I really don't have any pity for liars, even if they can't help it.

        Fatness needs to be scorned and stigmatized, not accepted and supported. They should buy two seats on an airplane if that's what they take up, and insurance providers should charge them more for insurance but they should also do everything they can to get their fat customers weight down (besides surgery or medication). Fat people don't have to be fat, that's all there is to it, so to all the fat people on digg, get off your fat ass and go run a mile, and for god sakes take the twinkies out of your mouth.
    • mracid70, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2First, Monk22, go ***** yourself seriously, I'm not even gonna waste time on your stupid ass. Now, pseudononymist , I am all for motivating fat people to lose the weight, but why do you think that leaving comments like "wow what a teh fattie! stop eating so much mcdonalds you fat pig" will change anything? If anything, it'll lower a person's morale and lead them to stuff their faces on some fried junk. I'm not saying ignore the issue, I'm just saying you don't have to be a piece of ***** about it. And that's not even the real issue here, the issue is that I'm fairly certain that most of these retards on digg who leave these comments are bigger losers than the 400 lber who can't put down the double cheeseburger. I'm 5'9 140 and I've never been fat, so this isn't some sort of personal issue for me. It's about ***** who have no right to talk about being a "fat loser" because they may not be fat but they are 2x the loser. I do agree with you, we can't blindly accept this kinda behavior. However, from my experience, speaking to someone seriusoly like a human being is a hellovalot more effective than being an insult-hurling prick.
  • happytron, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2This seems like an argument for why employers shouldn't be responsible for healthcare. Their presence as an intermediary obfuscates the pricing signal the insurers send to alert people of their unhealthy behavior and gives coworkers and everyone else an incentive to see their behavior regulated.
  • Tarnum, on 10/10/2007, -2/+16Why just the fat people?
    Let's tax the cancer-predisposed too! And the other hereditary-related illnesses!
    How did your grandfather died, Sir? Do you plan to burden us with your chemotherapy fees in 30 years?
    • Rikkochet, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Cancer predisposition is not a lifestyle choice. Smoking is, and eating too much is. Both afflictions take a long time to become a serious problem and the "victims" can see it coming and watch it progress.
      You can't tell me that's even remotely the same as a hereditary neurological disorder or a predisposition towards pancreatic cancer.
      • blaaguuu, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3What about people who got fat when they were 6 years old because their parents didnt feed them right and/or their genetics just make them larger, and are now obese, and all the dieting in the world wont bring their weight down, and they are too busy working so they can have health insurance to have time to excercise...
        • stopthestupid, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Excuses, excuses. That's the problem. You have to put aside 30 MINUTES to get good exercise. Combine this proper diet and BAM! Weight loss. It's not hard.

          Yay for another genetics argument!
  • NapkinCat, on 10/10/2007, -4/+15We all know fat people are ONLY fat because they eat McDonalds everyday of their lives. It has nothing to do with genetics or physical problems. Next they can start taxing you based on your race. Since some races are more susceptible to long term illness, such as blacks and diabetes.
    • LowRentDiggs, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5What is different about 2007 than 1907? Genetics haven't changed over 100 years but obesity rates have skyrocketed. There is a small population that has gland irregularities and need treatment for their problems but the vast majority of overweight people hold their own weight destiny in their hands. It is most definitely harder for some to lose weight but that's life.
    • TheNik, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Exactly. I'm _positive_ that the fair majority of all of the "skinny" people on Digg are only that way through genetics. You can't exercise when you're digging down comments, lazy bastards.
    • Kronos6948, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Yeah, this will eventually lead to taxing people predisposed to sickle cell anemia.

      Honestly though, this idea is retarded. I come from a family where if you're skinny, you're the one with something wrong. Not that we're overly huge, but we're all 200+ lbs (except for my dad...he's the black sheep).

      Maybe if the majority of people's jobs didn't rely on them sitting for around 6-7 hours out of the 8 that they work, maybe this wouldn't be a problem...but the world needs pencil pushers too.
    • psykiv, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I almost never eat fast food (once a month, if that). I drink maybe a can of soda a week. I'm not a fan of sweets. I eat less than most people I know (I only eat once a day ffs). I can't stand fried foods (except for fries). Im obsessive about trimming the fat off the meat. Yet, I still weigh about 300 lbs.

      What kills me? No exercise, ***** metabolism, and my gallon of milk a day habit. Maybe if I cut myself down to 1% or skim milk, I'll lose a lot of weight (without even exercising). I guess it doesn't help that *everyone* in my family is also fat (except my grandmother, but she'll probably be dead in a few months anyways :()

      Regardless, I feel fine.
  • floatingpoints, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Thing about tagging smokers is you can't really prove it.

    You can prove someone is overweight just by looking at them. You can't tell a smoker just by looking at them.

    Just like on the healthcare forms: "Do you smoke?" Check no. How the ***** would they know?
    • happytron, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It's probably not hard to test.
    • Radian, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Maybe the raspy cough, yellow fingernails, bad breath, yellow fogged up car windows, etc...
      I'm playing devils advocate here but as a non-smoker I can usually tell if someone's a smoker. Not the "4 cigarettes on a Friday night at the bar smoker", but a regular, daily smoker (even a few a day).
    • salmonmoose, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Smokers stink. No matter how many breath mints and deodorants they use, they absolutely reek of tobacco for days.
  • DigitAl56K, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9I'll tell you what: charge me the maximum fee by default and give me an immediate after-tax raise by the same amount. ***** you, big business.

    Side note: I'm not fat, but this is quite repulsive.
  • ELCad, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9What about underweight people like Karen Carpenter?
    What about black people too, since they get the high blood pressure?
    What about your momma since she always has about 40lbs of man goo in her and always smells so yeasty?
    What about dumb people since they are more likely to hurt themselves?
    What about women since they may get preggers?
    What about not making health care a for profit business and then when stop blaming every?
    • LowRentDiggs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5It is pretty ridiculous to think that you can make money by paying to take care of sick people.
    • HouseFan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0What about educate people to do not eat that load of ***** sold by fastfood companies?
      What about taxing those companies that sell food with tons of satured fat and salt?

      Because profit comes first, obviously.

      • salmonmoose, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'd rather see higher taxes put on junk food, you'd not only help the overweight, you'd help those who have other side-effects, like tooth decay, mal-nutrition etc.
        • Monk22, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1we dont need more taxes! just stop eating it.
    • cgomez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm all for taxing stupid people.

      Good idea.
  • p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8I say tax the underweight people too. That way everyone who doesn't fit the norm is forced by the government to conform.
    • Ndric, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Being obese is for non-conformity now?
  • Ghoztt, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4"Employers can't discriminate on the basis of health!!!!!!!!" - the lard bucket somehow manages to say as he shoves another hormone pumped all beef & bacon hamburger down his throat while simultaneously pounding down his XXXXL 'diet-coke-that-will-make-my-ass-magically-disappear'' like it's going out of style. --- Damn, too bad I'm a vegetarian who reads up on biology & science, works out everyday & doesn't smoke or drink... and maybe gets like, one headache a year. I really feel sorry for these (ignorant) people...?
    • ddxChrist, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I fit your description - the vegetarian one - and I think employers shouldn't be allowed to discriminate on the basis of health. It sets a terrible standard that can quickly get out of control. What habits of yours will they regulate next? What aspect of your private life will they choose to investigate? Are you going to let them have a print-out of your DNA? We don't need GATTACA to come to life.
    • TheCasablancan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Jeez dude, your life must suck.

      My cousin is a hardcore vegan with similar exercise routines. She doesn't drink, smoke, or even tolerate being 20ft away from people who do smoke. She is thin with good muscle tone, and is doing very well financially at her hospital. But she is easily the most stressed person I've ever met.

      I find it to be funny how often she mentions how I should become more like her, and if I were only viewing it from a physical standpoint, I'd agree. However, I rather enjoy being big. I enjoy drinking and smoking, although neither to excess. I go out dancing, and sometimes bring someone home with me.

      Overall I would say that while she is definitely more healthy than me, and that I'd hate to be in her deeply self-restricted life. I feel bad for both her and you. All you're gaining is the ability to say "I wear smaller pants than that fat *****.", "I can run farther." and maybe..what? 15 extra years of life? Living a full and good life is worth more to me than 15 extra years of mediocrity.
      • gbro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"I go out dancing, and sometimes bring someone home with me."

        In a doggie bag?
      • Ndric, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I'm not as restrictive as her but I'm much healthier than you. You're blindly justifying your obesity
  • brhad56, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7This is discrimination.
  • spyd3rweb, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14freedom is circling the drain here folks, and you're making it happen by supporting this *****.
    • Aelbric, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Unfortunately, people just don't care. As long as they think they're doing something "for the children" or "for the country" or "insert platitude here", they'll happily relinquish both freedom and rights. When did people stop thinking for themselves? When did personal responsibility take two in the back of the head? I will never understand how people became such sheep..
    • Danjamin, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1How is making some fat ass pay more for health care hurting freedom at all?
    • shauncorleone, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Actually, I'm of the mind that this is a perfect exercise in individual freedom. Rather than having socialized health care or rising bulk rates for every employee for a certain company, employers are taking at least one step in making people responsible for themselves. If the only time I use my health care is for the occasional checkup because I am less at risk than an obese person, I'm not sure why my rates should increase the be on par with theirs.
  • Calcularius, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5What about the fat people who have tried dangerous diets and excercise plans because they couldn't afford to see a doctor to tell them how to do it properly?
    If our society would pay for preventative medicine for all at early stages in life, there wouldn't be so many unhealthy people taxing (pun intended) the health care system.
    • gbro, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Dangerous/ineffective exercise plans? A link, sir, if you will.
      • KevinO, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Atkins anyone? You can eat all the bacon grease you want, just don't touch the english muffin. More than half of the diets out there don't provide enough nutrition to keep healthy weight loss. And being 30lbs overweight is a lot healthier than bouncing around between weights constantly which is something that happens to most dieters (loose the weight, gain it back, rinse and repeat).
    • Tweekster, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1You mean lazy people

      Here is a program guaranteed to make you lose lots of weight.
      Stop eating fast food. find heavy object, pick up heavy object.

      Yes it really is that simple.
  • alricsca, on 10/10/2007, -4/+15LOL, boy are they in for a surprise. The latest research shows that the effects of stress over their weight and constant dieting in overweight people causes more illness than carrying the weight ever would. This is true whether they keep thin or remain fat. It also showed that no, and I mean no, known diet has ever been effective for more than a few years. You ridiculing lucky born skinny types are freaking pompous idiots. Blessed with genes that keep you skinny, you imagine yourself having some special kind of will power when all you have is arrogance. Do you truly think that the majority of the human population in developed countries would want to be fat with people like you constantly badgering them? Do you? Would you? For that matter, what exactly do you do to keep thin that you cannot find some heavy person also trying to no avail. Exercise, diet, 12 steps, or prayer come on tell me what do you do that they are not? I have seen them try every one of these things without long term success. Most still stay fat and they virtually all still get sick? So what is your miracle? One day they will figure out what causes obesity and it will be dealt with like any other condition. The only reason we did not see this in the past on such a large scale was the simple fact that people were unable to eat even if they wanted to. Now we have an endless food supply and those who came from populations where famine existed, which was most of then are getting heavy, while a few with the genes from populations where things like disease and war were the limiting factors of life are staying thin. Why this obvious observation escapes people, is the simple desire to find fault in another to feel superior. The way most are talking here shows that desire, that alone should give you a clue that something is wrong. Look at yourselves, is this how you treat a person with a problem? Is this how you expect them to get better? Crushing blame and ridicule have never solved anything, yet here it is in abundance. If they are going to start charging people, maybe they should start with you all. http://www.physorg.com/news94906931.html
    • IllBeBack, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Well said, my brotha.
    • stopthestupid, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0You are the reason why I made my account.
    • DolFan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Brother, I stand beside you in salute. What amazes me the most about this discussion is the speed to which people sling labels, I.E. "Fatty". And we all thought that modern society taught to us to be tolerant of those different than us. I guess not.

      Let's all of us stand back and watch these Nanny State lovers kick and scream when they start taxing liquor and beer. A tax on coffee-can mufflers for their rice-burning cars would be my next choice. iPods are next as they distract you, like cell phones.

      Where does it end?
  • feckineejit, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4How did this turn into gay-bashing? I don't know if any of you have ever seen a gay person - but all the ones I've seen are in better physical condition than most straight people. we need to encourage the government and companies to give us more time off, that way we won't feel like flopping on the couch and ordering in every night after work, and maybe have some motivation to go running or to the gym after work.
    • Ndric, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Fat people are trying to turn the tables to the *****
  • Ghoztt, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Now, I don't know where these "Homosexuals" comments came from - but just to throw down some FACTS so both sides have some real basis to their argument - Homosexuals are MUCH more likely to get anal cancer & receive STDs from their lifestyle. Go look it up yourself instead of just digging me down.
    • feckineejit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2why don't you get your facts, not every gay person even has ANAL sex so SHUT UP you sound like a moron.
      • happytron, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Not every smoker gets cancer, and not every fat person gets heart disease.
    • rdoger6424, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I've never even heard of anal cancer.
      Besides, there is such thing as a condom.
  • 0crabby0, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3MONGO LIKE CANDY...
  • l0gden, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11I am a fat pig. I know it. I am working on it. You all don't care. You shouldn't. It's really none of your damn business. What you should care about is that corporations and the government, do we really need to separate the two, are increasingly telling people what they should and should not do and what personal choices they should and should not make. Honestly it's unlikely this will amount to much more money per person so who the hell will care. It is just a bunch of BS hype. But one day. When there are 'incentives' and 'penalties' for something that impacts you personally, think back to how you felt about this one.
  • dasaroth, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10Lets think about this for a second, i love all the fat haters on here saying "stop eating the fat burgers fat ass". Don't get me wrong a proper diet with regular exercise would elevate alot of the health problems of many countries. There are many medical problems that can make you overweight then just stuffing your mouth with food. I bet a lot of you bashing the "fattys" might just be yourself, considering you are considered obese at just 30 lbs overweight. But back to the question at hand "is it right to penalize people for what they are?" We already penalize smokers why not overweight people , for that matter why not people who are drunks, drug addicts, who use to much sugar in their morning coffee. Don't forget the drivers, they contribute alot of medical problems. If you go after one is it not right that we go after everyone that hampers the health system. Seems to me there can only be one recourse that we can use to cut healthcare to a minimum. Make a cut off age. say like 65. Sorry gramps you lived long enough time for you to take a rest for good. Think that would take plenty of pressure of the health system getting rid of the old bats they suck it dry, right?? you even get a free one since they wont be able to collect social security. Just remember if you open one door, what to stop the urge to open more?
  • gunsandammo, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0Its a sad state of affairs when people are looking at doing this rather than employing different people that applied to the same job that dont have 60inch waists. It basically points out that the majority of people are fat, but anyway.

    To the people that are saying there are execptions and whatnot - of course there are, you would be silly to think otherwise, but at the same time there is a demographic that this applies to - the lardass, burger eating, coke guzzling type. You and I both know them and they are the ones this is aimed at.

    Is it good? I dont know, but it is funny.
    • onTheJDAR, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3You suggestion that employers should employ skinny people over fat people is truly disturbing. Employment should be based on merit, and nothing else.
      • gunsandammo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0I agree on merit - However it isnt the case.

        My suggestion is not that employers SHOULD pick non-fat people before fat people, it is that they DO already, however they can't anymore due to a high % of obese people. And this is their solution.
  • anachronaut, on 10/10/2007, -4/+22I've said it before and I'll say it again: Fat people are the new *****.

    Judging by the comments in this thread, about 3/4 of you would feel right at home wearing a white hood while burning a cross on some overweight person's lawn and yelling "You're not welcome here, fatty!" Heck, you'd probably forgo the white hood and proudly show your face as you spewed your vile hatred.

    You are utterly disgusting, loathsome creatures who should be ashamed of yourselves if you had an ounce of decency or empathy, but you clearly don't. As much as you may find overweight individuals distasteful, you are far, far more repulsive human beings than they could ever possibly hope to be. They can change being fat with a little work, but you're stuck being a small-minded, hateful, contemptible waste of humanity.
    • carbonfree314, on 10/10/2007, -8/+0Exercise much? :)
    • Ndric, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2Yeah because people are born obese and can't do anything about it

      /sarcasm if you didn't catch that fat man
    • IllBeBack, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Newsflash. The Internet removes all decency and empathy. People are free to show how really disgraceful of human beings they truly are.
    • rockefeller, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I thought it was the homeless that were the new n-word (I'm at work and paranoid of keystroke monitor)

      What if you're homeless, black, and fat? I guess you're really screwed then, huh?
    • Monk22, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1last time i checked not a lot of fat people in the sudan. funny how that works out, no food=not fat.
    • Danjamin, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1fat people can change themselves you retard stop with the persuciton complex and just put the damn fork down
      • DolFan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2And you need to pick up on the ***** spell-check, moron.
  • Deku, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1This is very similar to my idea of a "fat tax" based on ones amount of body fat. I'm glad to see it finally in effect. My version is like this.
    You are overweight in body fat by a certain percent (relatively high I might add) you pay a tax, no if, ands, or buts. The tax money goes towards paying for medical care for when these obese people end up getting stroke, heart attack, or some other fat oriented disease. Not to mention the more you are overweight, the more you pay. This should also help motivate people to be more healthy and lose weight.
    • IllBeBack, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yeah, taxes on others not in your group always sound great until they find something wrong with YOU. Then I'll bet you'll be against it then. You righteous little prick.
    • KevinO, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Strokes and heart attacks aren't "fat oriented disese".... Sure it's true that those are things that can afflict you if you are fat; however, you make it sound like a skinny person can't have a heart attack or stroke.
    • member57, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1How about a gay tax? Increased risk on HIV and other STDs. HIV costs beat ANY fat related illness hands down.
  • Ilikebikes, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I like the idea behind it but it's a slippery slope that we shouldn't start because where will it end? Should I have to pay extra because I choose to ride my mountain bike in a way that most regular people would say is extreme and I can be injured from it? I'm far from being overweight but I will probably spend more time in the emergency room than others because of my lifestyle. Or what if your family has a predispositon to certain medical problems (diabetes, heart disease, alcoholism, etc), should they have to pay extra?

    I hate the fact that my premiums increase because people continue to be overweight and don't want to change but until they make the whole system ala carte this isn't a path we should head down.
  • elsJake, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3What the ***** is wrong with these people , health insurance makes a profit _ANYWAY_ you take it , that's why it's insurance.
    Everybody pays a little in case the _do_ get sick. Now all they want is to take more money away from you because you represent a "higher risk". I repeat , they're making a PROFIT ALREADY because not everyone gets sick BUT this way they can JUSTIFY higher prices.
    Healthcare in general is a ripoff. And I'm not fat either.

    One question: do they at least check bodyfat% or would an "overweight" person (full of muscle) have to pay ?
  • p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7I think the government should mount cameras in peoples homes to ensure that people are in compliance with the new healthy eating mandates.
  • onTheJDAR, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Has anyone considered how this is going to be assessed? Does this mean that employers will be weighing their employees upon hiring? Perhaps there is a weekly weigh-in to check that you haven't slipped past that "overweight" line. And what about muscle mass? There is no truly effective weigh of measuring body fat vs. muscle mass (I know, because I learned all of the tricks when I was trying to get into the Army). So are we going to be taxing brawn 200lb 5'8" guy just like his lard-ass counterpart? Or is it easier, fairer, and less intrusive to simply drop this idea?
    • harrymcwealth, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1You can use a fat caliper to measure body fat, which is what it should be based on.
  • br549, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Can employees start charging their employer for anything that harms or risks their physical or mental health?
  • p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Maybe once the government defines the ideal standard body metrics, they can also standardize on ideal height, eye color and hair color. ~6' tall,blue hair, blue eyes is what I'm sure the government would come up with.
    • IllBeBack, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah, blue hair is all the rage these days.
    • elsJake, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1i think Hitler already did that , he just called it a superior race.
  • futuretheory, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1This is about corporate service charges, not government privacy or mandates. If it costs a company more to deal with a fan person, then it's their right to charge more or spread those costs out to everyone else that puts in the work to stay healthy. I'm sick of fat people whining about how it's not their fault, and really sick of paying the price for their laziness. The "health issues" argument is *****, you know it, I know it. Over half of this nation is obese (nor just BMI obese, but really ***** obese), that's not all hormonal folks. I'm the first one to say it's not your fault, but not because you're being physically lazy, but because you're not taking the time to educate yourself. IT'S THE FOOD YOUR EATING.

    Wake up and start reading your food labels; it's not just fast food companies feeding you crap, it's about 90% of what's at the grocery store too, even when advertised as good for you. The world is feeding you crap for profit, learn to eat less, but also eat BETTER. That's the hard part, I lost about 40 pounds in 6 months (and still going) by simply altering my diet, not starving, just bringing the calories into reality--I found that easier to do when the smaller portions were actually more nutritious and naturally ate less. Guess what? If it's not good for you, don't buy it...then a funny thing happens, you don't eat it.

    Then on the physical side, you don't have to turn into a marathon runner. Eat smart and walk a mile a day and you'll never gain a pound, walk a little more and you start losing. It will take months, even years to lose it but it's adding years to your life, better and happier years at that. Grab your girlfriend/wife by the hand and walk together, you'll find it more personally rewarding than staring at a TV for that hour every night.

    Until people start putting a little effort into their health, they can pay extra for the privilege to be stupid.
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