Even Governments Are Charging Smokers and the Obese More For Health Insurance - - Federal Ruling Permits Differential Health Insurance for Risky Lifestyles

John F. Banzhaf III, Professor of Public Interest Law, George Washington University Law school

2008-08-22 18:46:17 - Government employees who are grossly obese will soon begin paying $25 a month for health insurance which is free to those who weigh less, just as employees who smoke already have to pay a similar fee. A growing number of private companies already have similar policies.

All are based upon studies showing that people who smoke and/or are obese impose huge additional health care costs on their employers and health insurance companies, and that even a small additional fee -- much less than the costs their behaviors add to medical and drug bills -- not only helps remove this added burden from the majority of employees with healthy life styles, but is also a very effective way of providing additional motivation for them to adopt healthier behaviors.

Law professor John Banzhaf, who several years ago obtained a ruling permitting such charges, and who is leading the movement to use legal action as a weapon against obesity, hailed the development, and expressed confidence that other state,s as well as private employers, would soon adopt similar policies.

"Whatever right people may have to engage in hazardous life styles, they clearly have no right to impose the costs of those choices on their employer and fellow employees," says Banzhaf, noting that charging smokers and the obese more can save employers over $10,000 for every employee.

PROFESSOR JOHN F. BANZHAF III
Professor of Public Interest Law
George Washington University Law School
FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor
FELLOW, World Technology Network
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