Should obese people be required to pay higher insurance?

[abcgrad94]

This leads me to another thought. My youngest daughter weighed 10 lbs, 1 oz. at birth and has been "off the charts" for growth. I was sicker than a dog during pregnancy, so it wasn't like I was stuffing myself with twinkies and soda pop to make her a big baby. If our governor gets his way, I guess she would be considered "overweight" and we would be punished accordingly.

So, perhaps I should become anorexic or bulemic. Then I would be skinny and my health care covered for those issues instead of obesity.

 

[Matt Black]

We're having a similar debate within the NHS on this side of the Pond. I guess it's a question of degree: where do you draw the line? For example, it's NHS policy not to give liver transplants to alcoholics unless they've been 'dry' for several months. I think most if not all people would agree with that. Similarly, private insurance companies charge higher premiums and/or refuse certain elements of both life, medical and critical illness cover for smokers, drinkers, and morbidly obese people and, again, that seems fair: if thanks to your lifestyle you're more likely to cost the insurance company ££££s then you should pay for it. Where it gets tricky however is where our government-backed NHS starts to make decisions on similar criteria to those of the private insurers eg: not putting obese people with chronic heart disease on the heart transplant register until they lose some weight. What then? I suppose the problem is that healthcare - whether provided by the private or public sector (or both as it is here) - has to be rationed to an extent eg: there are only so many organs available for transplant, and therefore a clinical judgement has to be made on how to allot those resources; inevitably, whether a patient is 'deserving' or not is going to form part of that decision-making process eg: if a single obese male smoker aged 50 and a mother of three aged 35 with a BMI of 25 are chasing the same heart, the woman is going to win hands down.

 

[donnA]

How about people who eat too much high sugar foods, or high fat foods and aren't over weigh, the sugar and fat are still damaging their bodies, not all diabetics and people with high cholesterol are over weight.

 

[Amy.G]

If we follow this logic, then maybe overweight people should also pay extra for food in the hopes they will eat less. Skinny people should pay less for food in hopes they will eat more.

We could have the food police stationed at the entrance of every grocery store weighing people before they are allowed to enter.



(This post contains sarcasm.)

 

[Matt Black]

Is the amount of sarcasm above your recommended daily allowance, though?

 

[abcgrad94]

If we follow this logic, then maybe overweight people should also pay extra for food in the hopes they will eat less. Skinny people should pay less for food in hopes they will eat more.

We could have the food police stationed at the entrance of every grocery store weighing people before they are allowed to enter.



(This post contains sarcasm.)

I can just see this happening at the drive-through.
"Welcome to McDonalds. Before I take your order, I need to know your BMI so I know how much to charge you."

 

[Johnv]

Should obese people be required to pay higher insurance?

I'm undecided on this specific issue, but I don't think it's unreasonable for insurance carriers to adjust their pricing depending on existing conditions. in the same manner than auto insurance charge more for higher risk drivers.

 

[Trotter]

Sure, charge me more for insurance. Oh, wait... I can't afford insurance now which is why I don't have any anyway. Oh, well. I guess if I have a heart attack I can either sit home and just die, or go to the ER and let Obama pay for it. [/sarcasm]

I really can't afford insurance, and do not have any, nor will I be able to afford any for quite a while. Things like, you know, a house payment, light/water bill, trying to scrape up enough to be able to buy some groceries, seem to take what little bit of income we do have. Extras, like, you know, health insurance, life insurance, dental care, eye care, and other such non-necessities, have to be passed over until our personal economic condition changes.

Just pray none of us DO have a heart attack, or any other kind of major illness. We may just have to choose to stay home and hope it isn't too serious after all.

 

[Amy.G]

Is the amount of sarcasm above your recommended daily allowance, though?

:laugh:

I may have exceeded my daily allowance.

 

[Marcia]

First, you'd have to have some kind of way to define "obese." That could take years.

Then, there's the problem of fluctuating weight. I just don't see this as a plausible thing to do.

PS It seems this thread should be in the Polls forum with a poll attached. What's it doing here?

 

[Matt Black]

The definition shouldn't be too difficult, medically-speaking; BMI is a blunt instrument for such purposes (many sportsmen are technically obese under that measurement despite being super-fit) but you can go on % body fat, which is measurable. But the fluctuation thing is more problematic.

The whole thing's so depressing that I need to eat to comfort myself!

Matt (BMI 26 and rising!)

 

[abcgrad94]

PS It seems this thread should be in the Polls forum with a poll attached. What's it doing here?

I posted this in the news section as it was reported in my local WV news. Tinytim kindly provided the link for me. You can find it on page one of this thread.

 

[billwald]

The big con is the perversion of the term "insurance."

Most people have a pre-paid medical service, not insurance. The major goal of "real" insurance IS to screen for pre-existing conditions . . . such as drunk driving tickets and arrests for arson.

 

[carpro]

Yesterday, our Charleston Gazette reported our WV state politicians want obese people to either get fit, or pay more for insurance. (Sorry I do not know how to post links.) I think this is discrimination. Smokers in WV who have state insurance must pay extra every month, now they want people to pay their insurance based on their BMI (Body Mass Index.)

My question is, where do we draw the line? Why not punish people who engage in risky behaviors like sleeping around, sky diving, or talking on cell phones while driving, too? Why not make gays pay more since they might get AIDS? What about minorities?

Seems to me this is a slippery slope.

It's not much different from what will happen under a government run insurance plan.

Obese people will be denied all sorts of treatments and surgerys. It's just another way for liberals to control the behavior of people.

 

[Marcia]

I posted this in the news section as it was reported in my local WV news. Tinytim kindly provided the link for me. You can find it on page one of this thread.

Thanks - I was on the road speaking in NC and using a hotel computer, so I didn't have time to read the threads from the beginning.

 

[gb93433]

If we follow this logic, then maybe overweight people should also pay extra for food in the hopes they will eat less.

When I was in Finland food costed about 80% more than in America at the time, but their food bills were the same as ours. When things are more expensive one tends to not buy as much.

 

[Sakuras]

Hello,

Fat people should pay more for everything: food, travel, medical expenses, insurance etc.

Just so many of them, eating and stuffing their faces. Lazy too. They make all sorts of excuses. Some are medical and that is the minority. You hear about all these starving people then look over your shoulder to see some lady pounding back food like no tomorrow.

However, what can you do? They just get defensive, mad, and ultimately blame you because you're pointing a finger at their belly. You can't win.

If most of these people would just slow down the food train and exercise during the week we wouldn't need to debate this issue, but it has come to a crisis.

I love fat people, just dislike their nasty habit. One that hurts society.

 

[donnA]

I love fat people,

no, you don't, just read your post and see.

 

[donnA]

If we follow this logic, then maybe overweight people should also pay extra for food in the hopes they will eat less. Skinny people should pay less for food in hopes they will eat more.

We could have the food police stationed at the entrance of every grocery store weighing people before they are allowed to enter.



(This post contains sarcasm.)

Prehaps they should charge more for high fat foods, like hamburgers and pizza, becasue the fat causes high cholesterol and heart diesease.
Prehaps there should be a mandatory amount of excerise each week, if you don't do it every week your insurance goes up.
[/sarcasm]

 

[carpro]

Hello,

Fat people should pay more for everything: food, travel, medical expenses, insurance etc.

Just so many of them, eating and stuffing their faces. Lazy too. They make all sorts of excuses. Some are medical and that is the minority. You hear about all these starving people then look over your shoulder to see some lady pounding back food like no tomorrow.

However, what can you do? They just get defensive, mad, and ultimately blame you because you're pointing a finger at their belly. You can't win.

If most of these people would just slow down the food train and exercise during the week we wouldn't need to debate this issue, but it has come to a crisis.

I love fat people, just dislike their nasty habit. One that hurts society.

I believe you are a troll.

Time will tell.