Getting paid to lose weight...

**Preston** · 09-17-2009, 06:23 PM

I've often said if there is going to be a national health care plan there should be a 'fat tax' which would give people an incentive to lose weight (to avoid the tax) and live a healthier lifestyle.

They should do this anyway.. but some people are stubborn and often times will respond to a money incentive... so I found this link.. tell me what you think..

http://caloriecount.about.com/gettin...term=continue1

**jlaporte** · 09-17-2009, 06:54 PM

well while i understand this i personally find this rude. some ppl including me are not fat by choice. we have health issues and such and that would discriminate against us. while yes it may work for some but not others. idk i think it can b another case of finger pointing.and some ppl may be heavier but are living a healthy life style. not all fat ppl eat crap for every meal and snacks.this is a touchy subject cuz even heavy ppl excersize and do all they can but it wont come off. im ranting but everybody is diffrent.

**fernykins** · 09-17-2009, 10:29 PM

Why are you putting all heavy people in the catagory. I have majory health problems not of my choosing. Some of my meds cause weigh gain. I didn't ask for that but without the meds I would end up in the hospital more often. I don't eat alot. My children complain that I don't eat enough. My Dr told me loss 5 lbs you'll feel beter. Right...........He lied. I lost 100lbs and I feel worse. Yes I'm still losing the wight. But unless you know the person don't lump everyone in the boat.
Fern

**Luckybustert** · 09-17-2009, 10:52 PM

My doctor put me on one medication and I gained 80 pounds with no change in my diet at all. When I discontinued the med, I lost the weight. Several years later I was put on the same medication again with the exact same results. I think it's overly simplistic to assume that fat people are all that way because they have overactive forks and no self control.

**LovetoCraft** · 09-18-2009, 02:08 AM

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkOrange"]I got that same email in my inbox and deleted it right away. I have to agree with the rest of the ladies. I'm hypothyroid and have other health issues in which meds put weight on me. Just an incentive to live a long, healthy life would be enough to make me lose weight; who cares about the money, but some people's bodies are just not made to be skinny. Can you imagine a world of all "Twiggy's" in it? If you don't know who Twiggy is she was a stick figure of a model in the 60's-70's.

**Rosebush3** · 09-18-2009, 07:46 AM

Yes, awesome.. impose a tax on some people who can't afford to buy the healthiest of foods. It's as brilliant an idea as fining people who aren't insured because they can't afford it. Not all overweight people got there from eating too much. Illness, injury and medications all play roles. So tax the people already down. Let's get everyone to the exact same body type, next we can tax stupid or ugly. A great number of overweight people are very healthy, as well a great number of people within the national guidelines for healthy weight - aren't healthy at all.
If all overweight people were unhealthy and no accepted weight people were ever unhealthy, perhaps then it would be fair to penalize an entire group of people.

**quilting2day2** · 09-18-2009, 07:48 AM

I agree with the response of everyone above to this persons post.

**beks37** · 09-18-2009, 07:56 AM

Personally, it would be a great incentive for me to lose weight. We have had contests at work that had cash prizes and I did very well at those. Of course everyone is different, so it would not work for everyone. But, an interesting idea.

**jlaporte** · 09-18-2009, 09:14 AM

im glad so many feel the same. but its something that pisses me off! what is america comming to. they wanna tax and order ppl to do what they think is there guidlines. its like big brother is ordering and always looking with a finger pointed! just another way to try to control everyone, pfft.

**frugalwarrior** · 09-18-2009, 09:40 AM

Preston, How about an insensitivity tax while your at it.?? Or maybe a clueless tax? Rude tx? How did you think people would respond to this post??

**annymoll** · 09-18-2009, 09:47 AM

I don't think you should tax obese people. But I do believe you should give a credit to those who are working to achieve the healthiest lifestyle they can. We already get a break on our insurance for lifestyle choices. Because our weight is in proportion to our height and body mass index is within range. (During the physical they do take into account a larger frame, muscle mass, age , etc.)They work with those who must use medication, or have other issues .Also because we do not smoke(doesn't this have a hefty tax? Yet people will still do it. And when you quit smoking- boy does it free up money you can use for healthier food! Good thing!!).It adds up to about 25-30 dollars monthly. You are also given a discount on a gym membership, or helpful tips for a more active lifestyle, regardless of current state of health. The belief is that no matter what your current state of health is, there is always SOMETHING you can do to improve the quality of health.It's a positve thing.I love it.

**danni** · 09-18-2009, 10:22 AM

Giving a tax credit for choosing a healthy lifestyle is a great idea but taxing people for something they might not have control over is really wrong.
Two years ago I hurt my back and was put on bed rest for 6 weeks. I was a little overweight at that time but after the bed rest and then the months of limited mobility I gained alot of weight. Even though I am now considered obese I am still more active than alot of people I know. I have a friend that weighs 110lbs and she can't keep up with me. So lumping everyone together without knowing the history is a really bad way to go. Besides why make it something negative, having a tax that punishes is not a good way to motivate people. And people of all sizes can use motivation.

**shoiji** · 09-18-2009, 10:23 AM

I have to agree with many of these posts. I was put on a medication and gained a lot of weight because of it. The doctors were saying eat less and exercise to loose the weight. They forgot to say that the medication caused water weight. As soon as I stopped taking all the medication I lost the weight. I was even depressed because of the weight gain, thinking I was doing something wrong. NO, I wasn't. The medication was the problem.

Yes I do agree that encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle can be benefitial for everyone, I do not agree that people should be lumped into one situation. I can't imagine being told I needed to pay more because of my weight gain. Only to find out it was because of the medication. In that case will the pharmecutical companies cough up the money for the tax? I doubt it.

**Preston** · 09-18-2009, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior

Preston, How about an insensitivity tax while your at it.?? Or maybe a clueless tax? Rude tx? How did you think people would respond to this post??

Simple, I have long stood for the proposal for companies to be given tax incentives to provide means for their employees to live a healthy lifestyle (healthy meals in cafeterias, discounted gym memberships..etc) Maybe my statement above may not have been the most gentile way of saying it, but I insurance companies will raise your premiums now for living a less healthy lifestyle (obesity, smoking, etc.)

I look at the way it is with our current employers -- we all have the same cost of benefits, but some of us are much higher risk due to obesity and I think there should be incentives in place to help the individual improve their situation and the healthier lifestyle would lead to lower health care costs down the road.

But I saw it as a starting point to one of the many things we need to do to improve our health situation in this country.

And for the record, I'm not skinny either but I have slowly been losing weight. This has been my personal choice without any incentive, but last year my employer had a weight loss contest and there were a lot of participants and it went really well.

Individual circumstances may vary.

**kimmy4433** · 09-18-2009, 08:37 PM

IMHO our government sucks. They want to control what kind of cars we drive, how long we are going to have to wait "in-line" for an x-ray, what coverage we carry, how much coverage we carry, etc. Maybe our government should look at the people who are living for free off the states. I don't mean those who are working and need a little extra help now and then (heck I think most of us have been there at some point) I am talking about those families that have 4 plus kids, neither parent works. They get food stamps, housing allowance, utilities paid for, continuing education paid for, and get this...even a monthly spending allowance for what ever they chose. There should be a time limit on this, especially since we the tax payers are paying for their educations!! If the government would say, ok a degree takes 2 to 4 years, that is all of the hand outs you are going to get. Then it is your turn to pay back and get a job so the next person can get help, etc. Health care would not be such a problem. There would be more "funds" to help those whos employer cannot afford to offer healthcare. And for that maybe the government should step in and say ok enough is enough. Instead of offering government mandated healthcare we are going to put a cap on what the doctors and hospitals can charge, and what the pharmicutical companies can charge. If there was a cap and all states charged the same amount that was more affordable so those without healthcare could pay out of pocket and those who had healthcare would not be charged 5k plus a year just to carry it, maybe that would help.

But to tax us for being even just 5lbs over weight? That is BS. That is the same thing as letting the senior apt complex vote on my property taxes going up. Of course they say yes, their taxes don't go up but mine do. We are struggling as a country not just in our home states. Until the government starts saying no more jobs are going over seas and you have until x date to get the jobs back here. We are always going to be "poor", and our children, grandchildren, etc are the ones who are going to pay. CHANGE? Keep it, I will keep my MONEY!!

I know I rambled on but these are just some thoughts that popped into my head.