ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2009 > February > 16 > Entry
Should unhealthy employees face health insurance hike?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last year, we had a heated discussion about Alabama’s controversial move to charge its overweight state employees essentially a fat fee, an additional monetary amount added to the employee’s health insurance premiums. Now the issue has moved closer to home, with the City of Kennesaw proposing to increase the cost of medical insurance premiums if city employees defined as “high-risk” don’t participate in a wellness program.
That premium increase could ultimately double the amount city of Kennesaw employees currently pay. A wellness consultant would identify those as high-risk of health complications, including tobacco users and some overweight employees. Kennesaw dropped traditional health insurance coverage about four years ago and went with a self-funded model.
Kennesaw’s mayor says so far no employees have complained about the new proposal. Do you think employers should have the right to charge employees who they determine to be “unhealthy” more for health insurance premiums or is this just blatant discrimination?
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Comments
By DB
February 16, 2009 10:29 AM | Link to this
Charging higher risk people a higher fee would appear to be an equitable assignment of risk. However, you start running into issues of “self-inflicted” health issues such as overweight or smoking, vs. “sh!t happens” things such as pancreatic cancer or Type I diabetes, etc. Do you charge someone extra for just being unlucky?
Who decides what is “healthy” and what is “unhealthy”? Simply participating in a wellness program doesn’t insure that the person will become healthy. Sure, the employees might go to meetings, etc. to be lectured on their health all day long, but if you keep ordering ice cream on that pie at lunch, it’s not going to do any good, and it’s not going to stop them from smoking a pack of cigarettes when they get home. And if they live with a smoker, and are exposed to second-hand smoke, then how is that risk assessed? Toss out the addicted husband so your insurance premiums will be lower?