More than 30% of state is obese
The US state of Alabama,
the second fattest in the nation, is to impose a $25 a month
surcharge on the health insurance of goverment employees whose body
mass index is deemed unhealthy and who do nothing to change. The tax
will also be levied on employees with high blood pressure, high
cholesterol or high glucose levels. The new charges will begin in
2011 and will affect more than 37,000 people. Alabama is the first
state to impose a fat tax, and it already charges smokers an
additional $24 per month. More than 30% of the population is obese,
according to statistics.

 "Our goal was to make our members aware of
those risk factors," says Deborah Unger, of the Alabama State
Employees Insurance Board. "As long as you are aware and are
doing something to correct it, there won’t be a fee." ~ WebMD,
Aug 25; Los
Angeles Times, Aug 25

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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