Tuesday, November 29, 2005

WOODTV.com - Changes to health insurance plan for some Meijer employees
Down the slippery slope we go.

People who smoke and work at the grocery and retail chain Meijer will soon be paying more for health insurance.

The company says some employees will start paying a surcharge as early as January 1.

Meijer officials say the new health policy will go into effect when each union renews its contract.

The chain has 64,000 employees and offers benefits to both full and part-time workers.

Meijer officials say they want to promote a healthier lifestyle to team members and customers, and hope to decrease healthcare costs.

Some unions will be renewing their contracts at the first of the year.

When the contract is renewed, Meijer workers who use tobacco products will start paying a surcharge, and the cost will depend on what healthcare plan they have.

Why stop there? According to the RAND Corp., obesity now costs more in healthcare than smoking does. If Meijer truly wants to "promote a healthier lifestyle", shouldn't those folks also be singled out for higher premiums? After all, they cost more than smokers do. What about people who drink? All the drinkers I have known frequently hurt themselves. And how about those that are at risk for genetic diseases? Those cost a fortune! While we are at it, how about the people that engage in extreme sports in their off-time? They get injured quite a bit! Those with alot of speeding tickets? Talk on their cell phone when the drive? Live downwind of a major polluter?

Where do you draw the line? And won't this just price more people out of the healthcare market, which eventually costs us more money anyway?

Instead of all this bullshit, why don't we just go to a national healthcare plan like the rest of the civilized world?