Fat Alabama Workers

As harsh as it is. They have a point. Being fit and healthy is a reward in itself, yet plenty of people don't do anything about it even with that reward there for the taking. It has apparently been proven (from the story given) that penalising people for smoking has had some effect, so it would seem logical to do the same for obesity.
Penalties often seem to have alot more impact than rewards.
Obesity has become the disease of the 21st century and is costing not only the people themselves, but taxpayers, millions every year.
Perhaps instead of a cash insentive, companies could offer weight loss support for those who want it, so they can reach their goals.
The hotel I work in (which has over 200 employees), announced that they would ban smoking for employees on hotel grounds. Since employees are not allowed off grounds in uniform, this poses a huge problem for those who smoke at work. One suggestion they are looking at is an intensive "quit" program for those employees affected. Makes sense to me.
 
Being fat in Alabama now costs extra


Not sure I agree with this. I think it would be more effective to reward workers who lost weight.

This is not an easy question. To some extent, our culture has assigned a negative moral value to obesity and I'm not sure that's entirely healthy. However, it's also clear that obese people consume far more health care resources per capita than people who are reasonably fit. According to the article you cited, "someone with a body mass index of 35 to 39 generates $1,748 more in annual medical expenses than someone with a BMI less than 25, considered normal. " That's a very significant figure, especially when it might apply to a large portion of the state work force.

Here's a question: do you think that workers who fit the obesity profile would rather pay the $300 per year premium on their insurance or the $1,748 per year in average additional costs?

As to your suggestion that a reward for getting fit might work better - I doubt it. People generally need a very strong incentive to change their major behaviors and a long-term positive reward won't keep them motivated over the important first stages of such a program. They'll need frequent and valuable (if only psychologically valuable) interim rewards to keep with the program.
 
That's only 12 bucks or so out of a paycheck. Hardly enough to keep them out of the pizza aisle. Now if they had to pay the actual cost of 140 a month that might change behavior. Or force them to the private sector.
 
How about higher premiums for anyone who has more than one sex partner?

Or Jews, because we might pop out a Tay Sachs baby?

Or anyone who has a sportscar.

Or anyone who fits the profile of potential gunshot victim and lives in a neighborhood we just wrote off?


Or how about having a health care system like the civilized world and actually giving a minimal fuck about human life, not just embryonic?
 
Last edited:
It's bullshit, but not surprising.

Of course if they'd pull their heads out of their asses for 2.5 seconds, they'd realize that many of the people who are bumping up that "obesity average" are people who are either a.) without insurance altogether (like yours truly) or b.) on Medicaid or [insert-government-assistance-program-here], which other people besides the folks with the insurance are paying for.

How 'bout we worry about something more important? You know, like the large percentage of illiteracy? I was a tutor as an undergrad, and the functional illiteracy of COLLEGE STUDENTS in this state is ASTOUNDING. But who cares about that, right? :rolleyes:
 
As I understand the article this policy is being applied to state employees, not the general public or those on state sponsored assistance. The fact that state employees are getting free health insurance is astonishing. The days of free benefits for government employees are long gone for the most part.

In this economic climate coupled with the skyrocketing increases in health care costs, I find it hard to get my panties in a bunch because obese state employees are going to have to pay a whopping $25 a month for health insurance. If that will reduce the cost of the employee plan to taxpayers and free up money to use on other issues that will benefit the taxpaying public, then what is the problem?

I am a state employee myself (in a different state) and I pay $173 a month for family coverage. Even with that premium, we are still considered to have a pretty good plan as compared to what is available in the market. If I were an Alabama employee I'd be rejoicing, even with the $25 fee.

If I were an Alabama taxpayer I'd be pissed as hell that I was 100% subsidizing state employee health care.
 
Or how about having a health care system like the civilized world and actually giving a minimal fuck about human life, not just embryonic?

I assure you, as a government employee (federal in the past, state now) you DO NOT want the government responsible for your health care. Can you name one large scale government program that is managed effectively? The gov. FUBARs everything. I damn sure don't want to wait for bureaucratic BS to process while waiting for a heart bypass.

Besides, the national health plans in other countries aren't all they are cracked up to be. Full of problems.
 
I assure you, as a government employee (federal in the past, state now) you DO NOT want the government responsible for your health care. Can you name one large scale government program that is managed effectively? The gov. FUBARs everything. I damn sure don't want to wait for bureaucratic BS to process while waiting for a heart bypass.

Besides, the national health plans in other cpuntries aren't all they are cracked up to be. Full of problems.

I keep hearing that. But having been on a Crohn's board with 2 dutch, 4 german, 8 canadian, and 1 south african with Crohn's who were all getting care equal to or better than mine without going into debt for the rest of their adult life, I think I'm willing to try some problems out. Maybe every sickie just has myopia about THEIR disease. I say, thank God for the internet.
 
Last edited:
I assure you, as a government employee (federal in the past, state now) you DO NOT want the government responsible for your health care. Can you name one large scale government program that is managed effectively? The gov. FUBARs everything. I damn sure don't want to wait for bureaucratic BS to process while waiting for a heart bypass.

Ah yes. Blue Cross Blue Shield does SO MUCH BETTER. I still don't even know what I owe and what I don't because by the time my claims come back the bill has been in collections sometimes for six MONTHS.

Besides, I'm not interested in taking anyone's precious right to be fucked by the private sector away. I'm just saying this should not be the disaster it is - and it IS a disaster. People, self included, don't go to the MD unless and until something is seriously wrong because they have not hit their 2000 dollar a year deductables.
 
Last edited:
City workers here get free insurance. Not sure about the state.

Bunny you should have moved to Georgia. College is free here if you can keep a B average. To state schools anyway. You get 3000 a year for private schools.
 
I can't speak to the efficiency of one isurance carrier over the other. However, I can address the appalling lack of efficiency and waste in government.

An example from earlier this week..I see this crap all of the time.

An office wanted an all-in-one fax/scanner/copier/printer. Office Depot had it for about ~$300. Oh no says the the IT purchasing folks. You have to get the $400 laser printer/scanner and buy a fax separatly. Why? Because the IT folks don't work on fax machines so it can't be included in any componant they support. on top of that, there is a state contract with X company and even though buying from them costs MORE than going down to Office Depot and buying the same thing, they were forced to go with the contractor. I know you are thinking "it's a hundred bucks, what does it it matter in the big pic?" Well, in the big pic it happens a thousand times a day with even more money.

I really, really, really, don't want that BS when it comes to health care.

BTW, I am off work today, I'm not goofing off on the taxpayer dime. :D
 
It's bullshit, but not surprising.

Of course if they'd pull their heads out of their asses for 2.5 seconds, they'd realize that many of the people who are bumping up that "obesity average" are people who are either a.) without insurance altogether (like yours truly) or b.) on Medicaid or [insert-government-assistance-program-here], which other people besides the folks with the insurance are paying for.

How 'bout we worry about something more important? You know, like the large percentage of illiteracy? I was a tutor as an undergrad, and the functional illiteracy of COLLEGE STUDENTS in this state is ASTOUNDING. But who cares about that, right? :rolleyes:

Let's talk about how the ONLY food source in a lot of neighborhoods is fast food and superamerica. Hmmm....
 
City workers here get free insurance. Not sure about the state.

Bunny you should have moved to Georgia. College is free here if you can keep a B average. To state schools anyway. You get 3000 a year for private schools.

State employees in Georgia do not have free health insurance.
 
I can't speak to the efficiency of one isurance carrier over the other. However, I can address the appalling lack of efficiency and waste in government.

An example from earlier this week..I see this crap all of the time.

An office wanted an all-in-one fax/scanner/copier/printer. Office Depot had it for about ~$300. Oh no says the the IT purchasing folks. You have to get the $400 laser printer/scanner and buy a fax separatly. Why? Because the IT folks don't work on fax machines so it can't be included in any componant they support. on top of that, there is a state contract with X company and even though buying from them costs MORE than going down to Office Depot and buying the same thing, they were forced to go with the contractor. I know you are thinking "it's a hundred bucks, what does it it matter in the big pic?" Well, in the big pic it happens a thousand times a day with even more money.

I really, really, really, don't want that BS when it comes to health care.

BTW, I am off work today, I'm not goofing off on the taxpayer dime. :D

I know this.

This happens in every large company I've ever worked in too.

And small ones. This happens at M's job a lot. There's always someone's brother who needs a taste. I think it's the same way in Norway too, I'm sure there's no lack of graft in other countries, even more so there maybe.

I have a relative who works for a huge bloated federal agency. It's scary stuff.

I still think that there needs to be some solution to the fiasco of health care, and what's odd is that even large companies are conceding it's a fiasco. Something for the mainstream of us who are making about 25-35 grand a year (it's called a median for a reason low as that is)
 
Last edited:
I know this.

This happens in every large company I've ever worked in too.

And small ones. This happens at M's job a lot. There's always someone's brother who needs a taste. I think it's the same way in Norway too, I'm sure there's no lack of graft in other countries, even more so there maybe.

I have a relative who works for a huge bloated federal agency. It's scary stuff.

I still think that there needs to be some solution to the fiasco of health care, and what's odd is that even large companies are conceding it's a fiasco. Something for the mainstream of us who are making about 25-35 grand a year (it's called a median for a reason low as that is)

Oh, I agree we need a solution. No doubt. I just don't think the goverment is it.
 
I know this.

This happens in every large company I've ever worked in too.

And small ones. This happens at M's job a lot. There's always someone's brother who needs a taste. I think it's the same way in Norway too, I'm sure there's no lack of graft in other countries, even more so there maybe.

I have a relative who works for a huge bloated federal agency. It's scary stuff.

I still think that there needs to be some solution to the fiasco of health care, and what's odd is that even large companies are conceding it's a fiasco. Something for the mainstream of us who are making about 25-35 grand a year (it's called a median for a reason low as that is)

I was just going to say, and this doesn't happen in corporate America? It's happened everywhere I've worked!
 
Oh, I agree we need a solution. No doubt. I just don't think the goverment is it.

I do think it's their *responsibility*

I think that their obligations for food shelter housing, you know "life" does not end the second your mommy squeezes you out. It's what makes us not-Russia, you know?

And I'm fine paying into it. I'd be fine paying into you having a day off as a MN state worker. Jesus. I'm much more fine paying that than I am for the contract for fax machines. But the faxes stay, because Bjorn Jensen is Bubba Johnson's brother in law, a bridge falls on our heads and we have to cut school budgets more.
 
Last edited:
Is it just me, or is there something self-loathing about the article and the policy. Like fat people are dirty and we don't want any of it rubbing off on us!

It's possible I'm just a do-gooder liberal, but I think so many changes in health and diet could be made in this country without much cost. I was raised in a healthy home. This stuff is basically second nature to me. Mister Man was recently diagnosed pre-diabetic. He finally got serious and decided to listen to me. I basically just taught him to eat whole foods, whole grains, avoid processed foods, etc. People choose brands and products because they know them. They just need to reprogram themselves to choose something different.
 
City workers here get free insurance. Not sure about the state.

Bunny you should have moved to Georgia. College is free here if you can keep a B average. To state schools anyway. You get 3000 a year for private schools.

That only applies to people who are full-time GA residents, though, right? I mean, I couldn't move today and take up the Hope Scholarship next week. ;)
 
The worse ass chewing I got in the navy was when I was Supply PO for the division and the year ended with 20,000 dollars still in the budget. Even though we had every thing we needed.

At least in the private sector a new manager can come in and cut costs. Not much incentive to cut anything in Government. Our city budget increases faster than the rate of inflation every year.

Our local government it awful. They built a brand new jail and it sits idle because they don't have enough jailors. :rolleyes:
 
That only applies to people who are full-time GA residents, though, right? I mean, I couldn't move today and take up the Hope Scholarship next week. ;)

Yeah I imagine you have to live here a full year first. Think Alabama will ever pass a lottery? It is a tax on people who are bad with math.
 
Is it just me, or is there something self-loathing about the article and the policy. Like fat people are dirty and we don't want any of it rubbing off on us!

It's possible I'm just a do-gooder liberal, but I think so many changes in health and diet could be made in this country without much cost. I was raised in a healthy home. This stuff is basically second nature to me. Mister Man was recently diagnosed pre-diabetic. He finally got serious and decided to listen to me. I basically just taught him to eat whole foods, whole grains, avoid processed foods, etc. People choose brands and products because they know them. They just need to reprogram themselves to choose something different.


It's not just reprogramming. Real food is much more costly than crap food, unless you are very vigilant about it. Very few people have the time to be that vigilant, make friends with bulk lentils and frozen veggies and still make something that's remotely appealing to eat.

It's a lot harder to eat right when NO ONE IN YOUR FAMILY EVER has done it and you have food stamp income and bigger worries.

Hell, it's not even food stamp income. Most people don't embrace the frozen veggies on a night when boiling water feels like effort because you're working so much. Not everyone has the option of buying the four dollar Kashi frozen dinners for those moments.

It's a complete de-programming of the entire culinary culture of this whole country, which is THAT unhealthy.

A lot to ask from most people.

The 25 bucks aren't going to matter to the fat division heads who are having steak lunches, but they ARE going to matter to the fat admin who's fat because her food is a fast drive-through run while she patches together single mom insanity schedule. A lot.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I imagine you have to live here a full year first. Think Alabama will ever pass a lottery? It is a tax on people who are bad with math.

Why would we ever pass a lottery when we can keep donating money to Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee? :rolleyes:

The last time it came up for a vote, I remember all those preachers going on and on about the evils of gambling and all that bullshit. They were so happy when the bill was defeated, and they "won," as they put it. Not sure what it was they thought they'd accomplished, though.

They have bingo in the basement of these same churches. What's the difference in that and the lottery, other than size and scope? Oh, that's right, the opportunity for rich little blue-haired old women to win a cookie jar is so much more important than the opportunity for middle class kids who aren't poor enough to receive handouts and aren't rich enough to pay for it themselves to go to college.

I apologize if I sound bitter. But, Jesus, I've kept a greater than "B" average the whole six years I've been in school, and I've been hung out to dry more times than I can count.
 
Two observations..

1. IMHO there is a world of difference between a private company being wasteful and government being wasteful

2. Am I the only one that sees the irony of preserving free healh insurance for overwight state employees..at the expense of taxpayers..many of whom can't afford health isurance themselves?
 
Back
Top