 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
After all, Pennsylvania's adult obesity rate is 25.7 percent (up from last year), and we were named the 24th most obese state in America, according to the 2008 "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America," the fifth annual report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Think it can't happen? Think again. The state of Alabama and the government of Japan are already doing it.
Apparently, Big Brother has been watching and has grown weary of the proverbial carrot incentives. So, here comes the punishing stick. Obesity, along with its related illnesses, have caused national and international health-care costs to skyrocket. Those in charge want citizens to step up to the plate and take personal responsibility for their fatness - or pay for the privilege to be pudgy.
Alabama recently gave its 37,527 overweight government employees a year to slim down and shape up or be prepared to fork over $25 a month for health insurance that otherwise would be free.
Researchers have determined that employees with a BMI (Body Mass Index) ranging between 35 and 39 cost the state an additional $1,748 annually in medical expenses. Alabama will apply the obesity surcharge to anyone with a BMI of 35 or higher who is not showing progress toward losing excess pounds.
In Japan on the other hand, the government is requiring that companies slim down their employees or face hefty "fines" in the form of higher insurance premiums.
Japanese citizens over 40 are required to get a waist measurement; a man whose waist exceeds 33.5 inches or a woman whose waist exceeds 35.5 inches are considered overweight. They must get dietary counseling, and their weight issues are closely monitored.
Does this mean an end to the days when companies offered financial rewards to those who voluntarily adapted a healthy lifestyle of exercise, diet and no smoking?
Hopefully not. But this could be the wave of the future - with even more aggressive changes in the pipeline.
If recent trends in tobacco surcharges are any indication, we can expect to see more legislating of our weight and waistlines. Alabama, as well as a number of major American corporations, have insurance surcharges for smokers ranging from $25 to $100 a month. You probably know that if you are a smoker or overweight, life insurance can be hard to find and more costly.
Will the day come soon when state or private companies charge American employees a dollar or more for every pound they are overweight?
According to the experts, our expanding waistlines are decreasing productivity and straining our dwindling health-care dollars.
As we pay more for medical costs, we have less disposable income for goods and services; thus, the economy suffers too.
Clearly, there are no easy answers to this now global problem. Hey Philly, what do you think? Let me know what you think we should do to handle America's fat crisis. I'll print some of your thoughts in an upcoming column. *
Kimberly Garrison is a certified personal trainer and owner of One on One Ultimate Fitness in Philadelphia (www.1on1ultimatefitness.com).
E-mail her at
kimberly@1on1ultimatefitness.com. Her column appears each Thursday in Yo! Chat with her on her Daily News weblog, the Girlfriends' Locker Room, at www.girlfriendslockerroom.com. Her new podcast, "Philly Fitness and Health," is available for download every Thursday at www.philly.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Th
Dec 4
|
Fr
Dec 5 |
Sa
Dec 6 |
Su
Dec 7 |
Mo
Dec 8 |
Restaurants & Food
Green
today's poll
express headlines
Promotions
photo GALLERY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
email this
print this
reprint or license this
