I've written a lot in the past about the continuing escalation of healthcare costs in the U.S. forcing companies into a corner, a corner which will force them to either penalize unheathly employees or reward healthy employees for their health metrics.
Whether you use the carrot or the stick will be up to you. But employers are increasing their moves to
link employee heathcare premiums to metrics like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, obesity, etc.
The state of Alabama recently annouced some changes that suggest you'll have your BMI memorized in 5 years. From MSNBC....
"Alabama, pushed to second in national obesity rankings by deep-fried Southern favorites, is cracking down on state workers who are too fat. The state has given its 37,527 employees a year to start getting fit — or they’ll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free.
Alabama will be the first state to charge overweight state workers who don’t work on slimming down, while a handful of other states reward employees who adopt healthy behaviors. Alabama already charges workers who smoke — and has seen some success in getting them to quit — but now has turned its attention to a problem that plagues many in the Deep South: obesity.
The State Employees’ Insurance Board this week approved a plan to charge state workers starting in January 2010 if they don’t have free health screenings. If the screenings turn up serious problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose or obesity, employees will have a year to see a doctor at no cost, enroll in a wellness program, or take steps on their own to improve their health. If they show progress in a follow-up screening, they won’t be charged. But if they don’t, they must pay starting in January 2011.
“It’s terrible,” said health department employee Chequla Motley. “Some people come into this world big.” Computer technician Tim Colley already pays $24 a month for being a smoker and doesn’t like the idea of another charge. “It’s too Big Brotherish,” he said.
The board will apply the obesity charge to anyone with a body mass index of 35 or higher who is not making progress. A person 5 feet 6 inches tall weighing 220 pounds, for example, would have a BMI of 35.5. A BMI of 30 is considered the threshold for obesity. The board has not yet determined how much progress a person would have to show and is uncertain how many people might be affected because everyone could avoid the charge by working to lose weight."
Welcome to the brave new world. I'm a proponent of rewarding employees who live healthy lifestyles that result in reduced risk. Still, I wonder if $25 per month ($300 per year?) makes enough of a dent. My take is that the psychological threshold for action is triple digits - $100 per month.
Put the doughnut down. Doughnuts are for closers people who exercise... Not for those who think the Wii Fit is a good exercise tool...
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