Once again, apparently it's ok to discriminate against the obese. I will personally never use CVS again and will be writing them a letter to let them know exactly why. (including a listing of the MANY drugs I get filled there monthly and have for a decade and a breakdown of thousands of dollars they'll be losing from my business)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) - CVS is telling its employees they must get health screenings for preventative care or pay more for the company’s health coverage.

Its a controversial plan with an easily understood motive.

“They are trying to identify these patients that have glucose abnormalities or lipid hypertension abnormalities and working with them to make them healthier,” said family practitioner Dr. Greg Fuller of Keller.

To do that, CVS is telling its 200,000 employees if they want to use the company health plan they must submit their weight, body fat, glucose levels and other vitals.

The goal, the company says, is to identify health problems early to save the company money in the long-run.

Many consumers who’ve seen the info insurance companies are looking for don’t like the idea.

“I can understand maybe disclosing some things but there’s a lot of things they do want to know I feel like is a violation of our privacy,” said consumer Michelle Garcia who said her coworkers discuss the issue quite a bit.

CVS claimed, like other employers, it will never see the employees information.

“Most are taken to third party wellness program who takes that data and works with the patient and its not given to their employer,” Dr. Fuller said.

But, other large companies offer incentives like discounts for the screening information.

CVS says if its employees don’t get screened, they’ll have to pay $50 a month more for health coverage — $600 a year.

“I would be upset with that because you’re kind of forced to give them personal information about yourself and about your lifestyle and about how you choose to live your life,” Garcia said.

original article: http://dfw.cbslocal....alth-insurance/

Our company does this, but it is voluntary. They give us a significant discount on our premium if we participate in the program, and the information is protected by HIPA from anyone other than health personnel.

Our company does this, but it is voluntary. They give us a significant discount on our premium if we participate in the program, and the information is protected by HIPA from anyone other than health personnel.

Which many do, but offering an incentive is very different than fining the employees $600 per year for not disclosing the information.

I figure it's only a matter of time before company provided health insurance base the cost per participant/ health criteria.

My company offers Virgin Healthmiles as an incentive.

My company does the same thing...for the last three years.

Call it an incentive if you comply, or a fine if you don't want to. The numbers are the same. $50 incentive per month if you complete the "wellness survey" which includes a blood workup by your doc and answering some questions.

Fat people are expensive. Why should healthy people have to foot their bill?

Ok a question for those of you who's companies do this-

Do they say "you get $50/month if you comply" but do they literally DOCK your pay $50/month if you choose not to?

Because that's my issue. If they want to offer an incentive to comply, fine. But to actually dock their pay for choosing not to share their weight is infuriating.

Fat people are expensive. Why should healthy people have to foot their bill?

Cancer patients are expensive, too. So are those with Diabetes. I'm very expensive, I have Multiple Sclerosis. My meds cost almost $5000 a month.

Just say'n.

The state of North Carolina tried to put this in effect a couple years ago. Saying any smoker or anyone with a BMI over 38 would have to pay for health insurance. Those who do not smoke or have a lower BMI would not have to pay.

After further looking, they opted to dump that and say everyone pays XYZ for this health plan, if you choose a lower health plan you don't have to pay.

I guess it goes without saying that there are plenty of fat people out there along with the skinny ones who still don't believe that obesity is a disease.

I guess we should shut down all the drug and alcohol rehab facilities as well. After all they just need to stop drinking and sticking needles in their arms. Right?

wonder if there is a tax or extra pay for being too gorgeous too??

i heard this topic (thanks for sharing mis)

Missy,

My company used to pay 100% of an HDHP plan. A few years back, 4 or 5, they started offering this "incentive" of $50 month/$600 year that they would put into your HSA account if you completed this well being assesment.

After they got a majority of folks to voluntarily go to this plan and do this, they started charging.....guess what, exactly $50 per month employee costs for the HDHP. So, if you don't do it, that plan will now cost you out of pocket $50 per month. The same $50 "incentive" you get...go figure.

At first I was against doing it...felt the same way as some of the issues stated above. I do it now and have the last two years. For me, its a good incentive to visit my PCP and get a checkup. (No meds/health issues)

So in my case, either you do it and receive the incentive, or don't and pay $50 more per month out of pocket for your health coverage.

I guess my complaint is I feel like being obese is the last acceptable discrimination.

We've all been there or are there struggling not to be anymore. We're all painfully aware of the fact none of us woke up one morning thin and said "hey being fat sounds fun! I'm gonna gain 100 pounds!"

And yet we have to fight insurance tooth and nail for the WLS to not be obese anymore... and even that is no guarantee the weight won't come back.

I just feel like this is one step closer to actually excluding obese people from insurance or even possibly employment. It scares me to think of what will happen in the years to come

The reality is that it is just business, and the ever powerful "bottom line" on the budget which drives these incentives. We can't allow ourselves to personalize this...

Many people are lazy about doing what they need to to keep their health or regain their health. Money is usually a good motivator to get the point home and spur people into action to take measures to improve their health.

The research does not lie. People with chronic health issues are more expensive to insure. Some medical conditions are not preventable. Obesity, and the many co-morbid medical conditions which often accompany obesity are preventable if people choose to act on revising their eating and activity.

Big business is trying to cut their costs...people who would rather be obese are resistant to change. You can make a choice to use another pharmacy, but it will make no difference to CVS. Their employees who balk at the idea of their new requirements for weight disclosure can choose to be employed somewhere else.

It's all about choices...and discrimination for weight is just another social issue which travels just under the radar and doesn't get much press because it s so difficult to prove.

I'm not saying the CVS corporate policy is correct, but it was not put in place to discriminate against obese people. It's not personal...it's just business.

Okay, I'm entirely with Missy on this. This is discrimination, plain and simple, and the fact that people who have battled the very disease being discriminated against are defending the discrimination is proof of how institutionalized our cultural disgust with fat people has become. The obese are stigmatized daily in the media, but we have been so conditioned to accept it that even those of us who are obese often join in the stigmatization. Any company who offers health insurance can set a baseline then discount for people who participate in special programs, but to set a baseline and then penalize people for withholding personal information is wrong IMO.

Look, I've heard all the information about "fat people cost more" and it just pisses me off. I was very fat before I had my lap band, and I still am fat. Before surgery, my BMI was in the 42-43 range. "Morbid" obesity. At the moment I'm still "severely" obese. And you know what? My blood glucose was and is around 92, my blood pressure was and is 117/66, and the only times I went to the doctor were for my yearly Pap smear and when I had an acute illness, like a UTI. Let me tell you, skinny people can get UTIs, too. Skinny people can also get cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, and any host of chronic diseases that also afflict the obese. Yes, many obese people have expensive illnesses. So do many thin people. If you're going to charge by health care costs, do it based on individual health history, not height and weight and BMI statistics that were adopted at a meeting attended by doctors paid by drug companies developing diet pills.

Off my soap box and back to my band. Yes, I want to be one of the skinny people, but I want it in addition to my already good health, not to give me the good health I already have and I don't want to be charged more for the insurance I buy because all the charts say I "should be" unhealthy.

Okay, I'm entirely with Missy on this. This is discrimination, plain and simple, and the fact that people who have battled the very disease being discriminated against are defending the discrimination is proof of how institutionalized our cultural disgust with fat people has become. The obese are stigmatized daily in the media, but we have been so conditioned to accept it that even those of us who are obese often join in the stigmatization. Any company who offers health insurance can set a baseline then discount for people who participate in special programs, but to set a baseline and then penalize people for withholding personal information is wrong IMO.

Look, I've heard all the information about "fat people cost more" and it just pisses me off. I was very fat before I had my lap band, and I still am fat. Before surgery, my BMI was in the 42-43 range. "Morbid" obesity. At the moment I'm still "severely" obese. And you know what? My blood glucose was and is around 92, my blood pressure was and is 117/66, and the only times I went to the doctor were for my yearly Pap smear and when I had an acute illness, like a UTI. Let me tell you, skinny people can get UTIs, too. Skinny people can also get cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, and any host of chronic diseases that also afflict the obese. Yes, many obese people have expensive illnesses. So do many thin people. If you're going to charge by health care costs, do it based on individual health history, not height and weight and BMI statistics that were adopted at a meeting attended by doctors paid by drug companies developing diet pills.

Off my soap box and back to my band. Yes, I want to be one of the skinny people, but I want it in addition to my already good health, not to give me the good health I already have and I don't want to be charged more for the insurance I buy because all the charts say I "should be" unhealthy.

It is discrimination and fat on fat discrimination is very prevalent.

They are great deal of miss use of dollars in this country but if you say anything you are immediately labeled a "XYZ"!

As long as people believe it's okay to do so it will go on.