"Want medical coverage? That will be $25, fatso."

Excellent posts, Claude.

And Jay, I really hope you never do need your health insurance. But Claude is right, you have peace of mind in addition to coverage.

Let's say, while you're out battling obseity, that you trip and break your ankle. It's not a catastrophic injury, but you'll certainly need medical attention. Can't fix it with advil and an ace bandage.

Without health insurance, you're paying full-price for:
- ambulance transport to the hospital
- the time and attention of paramedics
- whatever pain meds they give you
- an ice pack for swelling
- time in an ER room
- nursing care
- visit from a doctor who says "yep, it's broken, let's take an x-ray"
- every single little bandage and piece of tape they use to wrap it
- an x-ray
- a specialist to read the x-ray
- getting it set in a cast
- the crutches they won't let you leave the hospital without
- whatever prescriptions you are given for pain and/or infection
- fees to process billing and paperwork
- follow-up visits with a primary care physician
- removal of the cast
- any type of brace or walking cast you'll be using after the hard cast comes off
- any physical therapy visits you may need
- Not to mention any lost pay from taking time off work to be injured or have doctor's visits.

Thousands of dollars. Possibly more than you've paid out in premiums over the years.

 

I should be charged the $25 for being dumb enough to drink as much as I did last night.

 

Weight is indeed arbitrary. But weight is also like the outside of your house. People make assumptions based on cosmetic values.

A house that looks great on the outside may have termites, just like the 6-foot, 175-pound guy might be a Jim Fixx in waiting.

 

Maybe he could throw in a few puppy pictures too. Readers seem to love those.

 

So does that mean that we should also subject people to an atherosclerosis surcharge if their arteries aren't sufficiently free of fat?

Fixx died of a heart attack with 95 percent blockage in one artery and 85 percent in another. He also came from a family with a history of heart disease. The 175 pound guy with Fixx's condition who is lucky enough to survive and find himself in intensive care isn't going to be much cheaper to administer care to than the stereotypical obese patient who also needs surgery to clear his arteries.

There are all kinds of things, such as this, that you can theoretically point to and throw down a surcharge on. I don't want the government nor my employer deciding to fine me (which is what the surcharge boils down to) for being overweight, or smoking, drinking too many Cokes, watching TV too much over jogging, etc.

I need to decide for myself that I'll get my weight under control, I'll never pick up that first pack, switch to diet sodas and drink maybe 3 per week, get off the couch and get in a gym. You can't force people to do something they really don't want to do, and in the end this is going to amount to more money in someone's account and not enough people deciding to take care of themselves (as the measure probably is intended to do).

 

They'll add it on to your next bar tab.