Obesity crisis: get paid to lose weight

More proof that some skulls are filled with bowel gas and/or stool.

"Fat people will be offered cash incentives to lose weight and take regular exercise under a radical Government strategy announced yesterday to tackle the obesity epidemic."

Employers will be encouraged to set up competitions with money, vouchers and other rewards for people who give up junk food in favour of healthy eating and living. Those losing the most weight would earn the biggest prizes.

Ministers believe that by giving people incentives to do something about their weight now, it will help avoid larger costs associated with treating cancer, heart disease and diabetes caused by obesity."

If the incentives of avoiding cancer, heart disease and diabetes are not enough, what makes them think money will work?

"Similar schemes have worked well in America and British medical insurance companies already offer discounts for people who go to the gym regularly."

"Worked well"?

Have the Brits been asleep or have the media here missed the declining overweight and obesity rates in the US? (and see below)

I vote for the former.

But if they are hell-bent on offering financial incentives, here's one.

Refuse to pay for any sick care costs associated with fat people's diseases of choice (tough to do with the NHS), but contribute instead to the funeral costs of the fat departed.

They can even keep their incentive scheme.

Fat people who die younger and drain fewer resources from the economy for their care will receive posher caskets, for example, or plot upgrades to ones with better scenery.

"It is not clear from the strategy who would fund such schemes but the onus is likely to be on companies as they could expect to benefit from a healthier workforce. It is likely that the schemes would also be tax deductible."

Why aren't they paying the more productive not-fat people more instead?

This will give the fat people incentive to lose weight so they can increase their incomes to the level of the responsible not-fat people.

This whole approach is insane.

"Dr David Haslam, the clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, said the incentives scheme smacked of "desperation". There was little evidence that payments would work and it would be difficult to check whether people were regularly taking exercise.

A recent analysis of nine research studies which used financial incentives found there was no effect on weight after 12 months."

Despite this, the nuts across the pond are considering this patently crazy scheme.

That's why they are nuts, I reckon.