North Carolina (State University) goes off the deep end
Apparently, employees at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina will soon be subjected to at-work saliva swabs (to determine whether or not they smoke) and weight/height measurements (to determine whether or not they are "too fat").
The purpose of this will be to eventually make sure that those people get denied the same level of health plan as other employees, as a penalty for either smoking or being fat. Employees will be receiving all the details of this new policy in the mail this week, but that's the jist of it.
I heard about this from a friend who works as a professor at that university (and is worried about how this is going to affect her personally). I googled around a bit, but as far as I can tell, this hasn't been in the news at all.
Discrimination always gets me ornery, but it really pushes me over into outrage when it runs completely counter to any semblance of scientific fact.
The scientific research on fitness and fatness has been varied and multifaceted, but in a nutshell, it pretty much all points to the fact that there is no inherent relationship between fatness and poor health. This information is out there for anyone who wants to read it (including administrators and policymakers at North Carolina State University, hint hint). Most of it is found in medical journals, but here are some readily accessible books on the topic, if you want to check it out yourself:
More information about the policy can be found at the North Carolina State Health Care Plan website under the link to their September 14th mail-out, or in this .pdf (details about the dates of implementation). But here is the general information I recieved from my friend:
[Edited to add: Discussion in the comments, as well as a private email from my friend, clarifies that this new policy is not an NCSU initiative, but a State of North Carolina initiative. It was signed into law by the governor, so expressing one's outrage to NCSU might not be the best way to actually get criticism of the policy heard. The words "State University" have been put into parentheses in the title, to help clarify this.
Of course, this also means that it's not just North Carolina State University employees who are affected by this, but all employees, even indirect, of the State of North Carolina. So the consequences are even further-reaching.
Sorry about the misunderstanding--although I was born in the U.S., I've lived in Canada for most of my adult life, and I admit I find U.S. health care completely baffling.]
The purpose of this will be to eventually make sure that those people get denied the same level of health plan as other employees, as a penalty for either smoking or being fat. Employees will be receiving all the details of this new policy in the mail this week, but that's the jist of it.
I heard about this from a friend who works as a professor at that university (and is worried about how this is going to affect her personally). I googled around a bit, but as far as I can tell, this hasn't been in the news at all.
Discrimination always gets me ornery, but it really pushes me over into outrage when it runs completely counter to any semblance of scientific fact.
The scientific research on fitness and fatness has been varied and multifaceted, but in a nutshell, it pretty much all points to the fact that there is no inherent relationship between fatness and poor health. This information is out there for anyone who wants to read it (including administrators and policymakers at North Carolina State University, hint hint). Most of it is found in medical journals, but here are some readily accessible books on the topic, if you want to check it out yourself:
- Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health, by obesity researcher and exercise physiologist Dr. Glenn Gaesser
- Just the Weigh You Are: How to Be Fit and Healthy, Whatever Your Size, by journalist Linda Konner and physician Dr. Steven Jonas
- The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health, by attorney Paul Campos
More information about the policy can be found at the North Carolina State Health Care Plan website under the link to their September 14th mail-out, or in this .pdf (details about the dates of implementation). But here is the general information I recieved from my friend:
- All employees will have to go to a "70/30 plan" starting sometime in 2010. During the first year of implementation, you can move onto the "80/20" plan if you sign a waiver that you don't smoke. In 2011, the 'overweight' clause kicks in and you have indicate weight/height in predetemined ranges to remain on the "80/20" plan.
- If a single member of an insured household is overweight or smokes, the entire family is penalized and will only have access to a "70/30" plan.
- 'Compliance' testing for smoking and weight will occur in the workplace.
- This was all decided in secret, without asking employees for their input or giving them a chance to voice their opinions.
[Edited to add: Discussion in the comments, as well as a private email from my friend, clarifies that this new policy is not an NCSU initiative, but a State of North Carolina initiative. It was signed into law by the governor, so expressing one's outrage to NCSU might not be the best way to actually get criticism of the policy heard. The words "State University" have been put into parentheses in the title, to help clarify this.
Of course, this also means that it's not just North Carolina State University employees who are affected by this, but all employees, even indirect, of the State of North Carolina. So the consequences are even further-reaching.
Sorry about the misunderstanding--although I was born in the U.S., I've lived in Canada for most of my adult life, and I admit I find U.S. health care completely baffling.]