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Charging the Unhealthy More For Insurance
Joe The Dragon sends us a BusinessWeek story, run on Yahoo, about Clarian Health and the new thing they are trying with health insurance coverage for their employees. They are charging unhealthy people more. The article goes into some depth about whether this is a good idea and whether the practice might spread. "In late June, the Indianapolis-based hospital system announced that starting in 2009, it will fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index (BMI, a ratio of height to weight that measures body fat) is over 30. If their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels are too high, they'll be charged $5 for each standard they don't meet. Ditto if they smoke: Starting next year, they'll be charged another $5 in each check."
thats another 20
Charging drivers with more accidents higher rates for auto insurance?
That sounds like it could be considered a form of discrimination. I doubt that obese people would take this move lightly.
Agreed, & I have a solution.
We should gather every employee in a room & stand them on a table one-by-one, if the majority of the room thinks that person is a fat bastard, that person gets charged more.
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
What about sexually promiscuous employees, or employees that like skydiving or downhill skiing? What about employees that pop too many aspirin, or employees with physically abusive spouses? What about those employees with genetic predispositions to any number of chronic (read: EXPENSIVE) diseases, who have thus far been lucky enough not to come down with them (so far)?
World wasn't invented in a day, boy. Simmer down. They'll get to it.
We should gather every employee in a room & stand them on a table one-by-one...
Yeah! We could hire people the same way. Let different departments bid on them. Make them take their shirts off and show their teeth so you know they're nice and healthy. And, just for their safety and protection, we might want to chain them together, so they don't get scared and fall off the table. And maybe a small but tasteful whip, strictly to make sure things move along and people don't waste all day bidding on new employees. And make them sing worker songs, because people really like that. Swiiiing low, sweet cub-i-cle wor-ker...headed for the break room at niiiiiine. That's my favorite.
Dang, it seems so obvious. Why hasn't anyone thought of that before?
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
You never thought that experience from Obfuscated C contests would be a good thing, did you?
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
Probably because you weren't at work, you lazy bum!
But what you don't see is your lack of buoyancy increases your risk of drowning - why should a healthy tub-o like me have to pay for that? ;)
"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." - Every fascist, ever