Insurers Make the Fat Tax Happen

There was debate a few years ago, at least here in the US, if a "fat tax" should be instituted. Foods deemed "bad" (by someone) would carry a higher tax, because it was postulated that fat people ate those bad foods and thus would pay more.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you that the fat tax is here. But it's taken on a different form than first anticipated: it's coming to us through healthcare insurers, a last gasp of an industry that was supposed to be nationalized years ago.

The tactic is described in this article, and is thinly veiled: you work out, you lose weight, you get an incentive of some sort. Some insurers are offering cash rewards for participating in weight loss classes and programs. Some are simply charging non-BMI-fat people less even though the BMI is a pile of rubbish as a health indicator.

Something frustrating is this quote from Jim Brown, head of a company in Ohio that recently started its own fat tax. Emphasis mine.

"I had a choice to be lazy or lean," said Brown, 44, an information technology employee who lost 90 pounds and has reached his goal of 210 pounds. Despite being overweight, Brown didn't have any health problems, but he noted: "If I hadn't changed, things probably would catch up with me."

Argh. Oh yeah, and if you don't participate, your premiums double. Great. The article notes that insurance costs have "been rising at double-digit levels" for "several" years. There are other articles out there that try to pin this on the Obesity Epidemic™, but never mention other possibilities - hardly ever.

We are living in a time with a fat tax that isn't called a fat tax, but is instead called a "health incentive". Make no mistake about it: due to the way it's set up, this is something established to punish fat people financially. [Many BFBers sent this in - thanks.]