"Health care costs are expanding in proportion with American waistlines, according to InsureMe.com, a company that helps American’s find affordable insurance...Arigato, fatsos.
The impact of carrying extra weight has long been linked to an increase of life-threatening diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and various cancers. And because private health insurers calculate premiums based on their risk to insure the client, people with high BMIs will pay more for individual health insurance coverage. A 2007 Duke University study analyzing obesity and workers’ compensation found that the average obese worker has 21 percent higher health costs than people of normal weight. A 2006 Medicare study also found that obese patients cost the agency 15 percent more than normal or overweight patients...
According to a 2007 CNN report, overweight Americans take a toll on the economy, too. “Fat people translate into fat medical bills for the U.S.,” notes the report, making it difficult for businesses to compete in international markets. The Duke University study also uncovered a staggering correlation between fat and productivity: 184 lost workdays per 100 obese full-time employees versus 14 lost workdays per 100 normal-weight full-time employees."
Friday, February 15, 2008
InsureMe Notes Trend in Overweight Individuals Shopping for Insurance Body Mass Index Takes Its Toll on Health Care Costs and U.S. Businesses
The real fat tax are the increased costs to businesses and the rest of society imposed on us by the overweight/obese, i.e., personally irresponsible.
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