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Home › Relationships

Question of the Day | 11/23/2009 3:00 am

Should Americans with the higher health-risk profile of obesity pay higher premiums for health insurance?

Obesity has now passed smoking as the No. 1 preventable cause of premature death. If high-risk drivers equals higher insurance premiums, should Americans with this higher health-risk profile (obesity) pay higher premiums for health insurance?
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Joan Juliet Buck

Joan Juliet Buck | 11/23/2009 2:00 am

Joan Juliet Buck Solves the Health-Care Issue

As the obese are obese because they can afford to eat only mass-made food that’s full of corn syrup, I don’t think they have the wherewithal to afford higher premiums. We should instead charge a new tax on all the food and drink companies that leaven their products with sweeteners and corn syrup, and use that tax to supplement National Health Insurance.
comments7 Comments
Liz Smith

Liz Smith | 11/23/2009 2:00 am

Liz Smith: Let's Get Educated

I think I’d have to wait a few years to come to a satisfactory answer on this serious question. We need drastic education first before we start punishing people when so many of them are already below the poverty line in a situation where the only food they get is probably unhealthy for them.

comments5 Comments
Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg | 11/23/2009 3:00 am

Whoopi Goldberg Gets Realistic About Health Care

No, let’s be realistic. Why should you have to pay more if your thyroid doesn’t work, or if you are prone to being fat and everyone else in your family for generations was/is the same? Are we going to start charging if your child has medical issues? Or how about folks who are born with or develop diabetes? Please … let’s GET health care first and then let’s see if annual checkups that may find things that put one at risk take all the things we are talking about and lessens them because you can actually go to the doctor.

comments95 Comments
Read more about: Health, health care, Insurance, Obesity, Relationships

86 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

IMLIZZIE
I volunteer at the information desk of a large hospital. I see a steady parade of very obese men & women going by, many of them young. For the most part these people look rather needy, and am sure their diet consists of lower cost meals like fast food. I also work with one woman who has Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diabetes, but has a weight problem. She is not needy, but because of her physical problems cannot exercise, yet watches her diet and eats carefully.I don’t think any of these people should be penalized because of this, as many of them are trapped in a condition or life situation the rest of us cannot understand.More education is needed and less availability of garbage food. The hospital recently opened a coffee shop with nothing but healthy food. They should do this at more places at affordable prices.
By IMLIZZIE on 11/23/2009 3:16 am
BClark
The rich use obesity as a gage of how poor poor is.  If the poor are still fat, then the rich feel justified in feeling they have not hit rock bottom yet.  When requests for help come, the answers fall into the Scrooge-ian "Are there no prisons?  Are there no work houses?" categories.  What ticks me off is Dexatrim use to work before they were forced to change the formula because FDA said working ingredient was causeing problems.  People turned to phentermine, and then FDA clamped down on being able to get it on a non subscription basis.  If being fat is becoming such a problem, then maybe they should make phentermine an over-the-counter drug.  We need an appetite suppressant that works and is readily available rather than pharma raking in profits from statins.  Obesity is big business, ands there’s money to be made from it.  That means there is no reason to do anything that would ‘solve’ the problem.
By BClark on 11/23/2009 6:07 am
RosilynLewis
I do understand that obesity is a problem for far many people than America is willing to admit.  I agree with you that it is big business and somethings being used my be causing the problem.  Should those persons be at the mercy of the insurance companies excessive rates; I’m not sure.  But, think about this, as a person over the age of 50 I have seen my health care insurance rise every year.  The premium goes higher the benefits go lower.  Is that fair?  And I don’t believe this is all about the weight of people.  Our health care insurance companies are out of control.  It’s all about making money for the company. And every so often you receive a letter telling you what they will not pay for without your doctor submitting the paper work.  Lastest thing is prescription medicine - brand name vs generic.  This is truly getting unbelieveable. 
By RosilynLewis on 11/23/2009 11:38 am
STACYSEARS
B Clark, please do a little research before offering your opinion.  The former active ingredient in Dexatrim caused an increased incidence of stroke and heart attack d/t the side effect on the blood pressure from the drug.  Taken at recommended dosages, the risk was relatively small.  however, when some is good, more is better and it was being abused.  As for phentermine, it has never been non-prescription.  It is considered a controlled substance due to its abuse potential (hello, its speed).  The potential for harm is great when this drug is not used as prescribed under a monitoring program.  Did you forget that this was 1/2 of phen-fen?
By STACYSEARS on 11/23/2009 5:07 pm
BClark
First off, my opinion is my opinion with or without facts - just like everyone else on this site.  Second, I am aware of the side effects of both medications.  Like being obese Doesn’t raise blood pressure? Used as directed, a lawn mower is very effective at cutting the lawn, but that doesn’t keep people from picking one up and atempting to cut the hedges with one (there are warning labels against this, but people do whatever comes into their heads).  No one is forcing anyone to take any appetite suppressants if they don’t want to, and people can and do poison/kill them selves with anything (even water) if they try hard enough.  It becomes a question of what will kill you first, being over weight or trying not to be.  I repeat, I think phentermine SHOULD be an over the counter product and they should put the formula for Dexatrim back to what it use to be.  It was the fen half of phen-fen that was the problem.  Health insurance should not charge obese people with a higher rate.
By BClark on 11/23/2009 8:52 pm
STACYSEARS
B Clark, I did not state that obese people should be charged a higher rate.  My opinion regarding phentermine is a professional one. I’ve been a clinical pharmacist for 20 years and have seen the effects of misused OTC medications on a weekly basis. Your lawn mower analogy is ridiculous.  If you think that phentermine should be OTC then maybe we should make crystal meth legal, too.  After all, it is more potent.  It would suppress the appetite, give people energy, etc.  The down-side, on hit that’s too big and you die or you become psychologicaly addicted, your skin is destroyed, your teeth rot, etc.  I’m also well aware of which part of phen-fen was the problem.
By STACYSEARS on 11/24/2009 6:09 am
STACYSEARS
PS.  If phentermine was OTC, no insurance would cover it anyway.
By STACYSEARS on 11/24/2009 6:10 am
julesverne

Absolutely not.  There are many tools in this country for preventing and treating obesity.  We need to educate people.  If obesity is supposed to be paid at a higher premium, what’s to stop us from doing the same thing to people with diabetes, cancer and other illnesses. How about people that are born with special needs?  We need to step back and use the resources that we have to help people, not cause them more harm.  The wellness industry is fast becoming an eye opener to many people, we just need to make a concerted effort to change the thinking of many people and find out what it is that is causing them to overeat.

Recently I became a part of an organization called Juice Plus.  It is a whole foods supplement to fruits and vegetables.  We also carry a few weight loss products as well as heart healthy supplements.  If anyone is interested in  learning more about what you can do to help yourself live a richer, longer life, contact me at 217-652-1307 or jules_60@comcast.net.  I would love to talk to you about Juice Plus or send you information.

By julesverne on 11/23/2009 6:15 am
LindaMyers
I agree with education, but also for many the obesity could very welll be connnected to a problem with thier own system which is influencing the weight. Even fast food places offer healthy choices anymore on the menu. I see this even in young children on a daily basis, the obese are becoming more of the majority than normal sized children.
By LindaMyers on 11/23/2009 6:56 am
KarleenS
Even though the choices are there, most people don’t buy them.  Let’s face it; healthy doesn’t taste nearly as good!  The fast food place was taken out of the county hospital near where I work, and you should hear the staggeringly obese people complain.  I am sympathetic to those who may be a victim of genetics, but there must come a type where a person looks in the mirror says, "this is getting out of hand" and does something.  But Ms. 600-Pounds with rolls at her ankles complaining that she needs her a Big Mac and how can she work there is Micky D’s is gone, I seriously start to think health care should be on a sliding scale.  Literally.
By KarleenS on 11/23/2009 3:55 pm
LindaMyers
Personally, I prefer Peanut Butter and Jelly to fast food. I remember the first time I saw someone stand in line and order two meals at Mickey D’s for one person, the thought had never crossed my mind before. And I am a chocoholic, I love it, so I do not buy it and keep it at home. If I want it, I have to drive somewhere and buy it. Maybe in the healthcare system, someone like you are talking about above would be mandated to recieve some form of treatment under the plan, and find out where from inside this need is coming from. Emphasize wellness rather than bandaid the health problems that result.
By LindaMyers on 11/23/2009 4:44 pm
DonnaH

If obese people have to pay more, then so should everyone else who indulges in high-risk behavior.  People who smoke in spite of the studies proving how bad it is, people who drink alcohol frequently, thin people with bad diets, people who continue to indulge in potentially harmful sports like skiing or rock-climbing even after they’ve injured themselves, people who use cell phones while driving or continue to drive themselves home after just one too many drinks, people who travel for whatever reason to places on the C.I.A. watch list.

 

My point is, if we start by punishing obese people for being overweight, where do we stop?

By DonnaH on 11/23/2009 8:44 am
KarleenS
They already do punish people for risky behavior.  People keep saying our health system is better, but my docs are always arguing about something being denied because of alcohol or drug use.  That’s all well and good (and perhaps deserved), but his patients are also injured due to speeding and not wearing seat belts and while the claims adjusters try to hamstring some bits of his treatment regimen, they still pay.  Where do you want to draw the line?  Pay for the moron going 15 over the speed limit "because everyone else was" and breaks an ankle but not the broken ankle because someone had a couple of glasses of wine and steps hard off the front step?  I dunno.  Our current method is bad and it’s broken.  Nit-picking I micro-defining what is and is not to be surcharged is truly a task that will shake out unfairly to nearly everyone.
By KarleenS on 11/23/2009 4:06 pm
BrigidMcManus
I think the readers/commenters are being surprisingly fair to the obese. As one of the obese, I’d like to comment that I’ve only recently become insured, and without insurance, treating the medical condition that causes my obesity has been unaffordable and impossible. I’m not saying that all obese people are without healthcare/proper treatment, but perhaps that the idea that a great many of these people are poorer, and therefore may not have or be able to afford healthcare may be a valid part of a complex and growing issue. It’s hard to hold people accountable for being overweight when there may be factors beyond their own control.
By BrigidMcManus on 11/23/2009 8:51 am
MaggieW

I agree with Liz.  When I was in public education, my high schoolers did not know about trans fat or what a simple carbohydrate is.  Ditto for calories or portion size.  Most ate at McDonalds before school and after school.  Most schools no longer offer health classes and PE isn’t required each semester.  Cafeteria food is very grim.  

So yes, education at an early age would  help.  In Texas, nearly 66% were overweight or obese  in 2007.  According to the Milken Institute study, if we invested just $10 per person per year to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking/tobacco use, we could save one billion dollars within five years.  That same study said the cost of treating obesity was 17.2 billion in 2005.  That number is expected to skyrocket.

The cost of care is only part of the picture. Living with obsesity affects  a person’s quality of life, and they may live 3 -12 fewer years than people of normal weight.  On a positive note, many larger companies are taking a role in promoting the health of their employees and have a gym, weight room, or access to a track.

By MaggieW on 11/23/2009 9:50 am
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