Workplace Obesity Hiring Ban

TaraMaria

So I'm at the gym, running on the treadmill, minding my own business when I see something flash across the screen. I push my glasses up on my sweaty nose and squint. Did I just read that right? Workplace Obesity Hiring Ban? I finish my mile, slow the treadmill down and power walk my way through the rest of this MSNBC News Flash.

I'm not sure what got the topic rolling as I kind of just looked up and BAM! the topic was in full swing, people debating for either side. The idea is that insurance companies and hospitals spend more money on overweight people then they do an average sized person. The cost of the average hospital visit for a normal person was $10,000.00 well the cost for an obese person was $26,000 (actually a touch more for women.) Businesses want the ability to discriminate against obese people and hire only people that fall in a healthy category.

Man were the words flying. Suggestions that overweight people should just pay MORE for their insurance versus a normal person. The fact that genetics play a part. The fact that genetics haven't changed in the past 20 years but there has been a rise in obesity none the less. It was intense.

When I looked around after the interviews, the room was empty and I had walked an extra mile. LOL! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. One even mentioned that it was SO wrong to discriminate against gender or race but this was completely acceptable, companies should have a choice.

I looked it up online and found hardly anything on it. Just several things that were linked to different companies not hiring smokers and that this was an inevitable next step. This is the first time I've ever heard of such things. Maybe I'm behind the times. I have heard that overweight people make less in the work place and are treated differently but NOT that it was going to be okay to NOT hire them completely!

gambitsgurl

I was going to post the "they have been doing it to smokers..." and the obvious next step thing. With health care spiraling (and the new health care initiative mandating the REQUIREMENT of insurance) they are going to start using anything they can not to hire. NC is a "fire at will" state and you can be fired with no reason at any time. They have been trying to head this off with incentives to lose weight at businesses for a while. Soon it will be drinking and any other "unhealthy" endeavor.

darkrider42

Wow, that's sobering...guess I will make a point to get a workout in tonight...just in case. 8-o

MisdemeanorM

Interesting. I can see both sides. I don't think being overweight should be considered a disability. I do also think that employers should be able to hire the cheapest labor they can or want. I don't think that not hiring is the right answer, unless it's a physical job that a thinner person would do better, but I can see making them pay more for their health costs. Of course, I think the systems in place for health insurance and care is not working overall, but that's a whole different debate!

SarahNicole317

Obesity can be a tough battle to fight as there are so many physiological and psychological obstacles that come with excessive weight. However, it is in people's control and it is their responsibility to take care of themselves. I see it no differently than someone choosing to smoke. I'm not saying people choose to be overweight or obese, but they choose the things they put into their bodies.

I'm not saying it is right if its discrimination, but gender and race don't drive up health care costs. Something needs to be done to give people a kick in the pants to lose weight. It's sad to think how obese the children now will be in the future.

TaraMaria

You are right, gender and race...you are born with and proud of. Smoking is a choice. And I can see where obesity can be viewed as a choice. I just look at my past and my struggle with weight due to medical issues and it blows my mind. Can you imagine how interviews would go? You get called in for one, "Oh I'm sorry. You sounded thin and normal on the phone. You can just go home now." Will there be signs that say need not apply if you smoke or obese?

SarahNicole317

You are right, gender and race...you are born with and proud of. Smoking is a choice. And I can see where obesity can be viewed as a choice. I just look at my past and my struggle with weight due to medical issues and it blows my mind. Can you imagine how interviews would go? You get called in for one, "Oh I'm sorry. You sounded thin and normal on the phone. You can just go home now." Will there be signs that say need not apply if you smoke or obese?

I completely agree that weight can be incredibly challenging. The same can be said about quitting smoking. I thought someone made an interesting point to say that perhaps people who are overweight or obese should pay higher health care costs... just like smokers.

JPotvin

Obesity can be a tough battle to fight as there are so many physiological and psychological obstacles that come with excessive weight. However, it is in people's control and it is their responsibility to take care of themselves. I see it no differently than someone choosing to smoke. I'm not saying people choose to be overweight or obese, but they choose the things they put into their bodies.

I'm not saying it is right if its discrimination, but gender and race don't drive up health care costs. Something needs to be done to give people a kick in the pants to lose weight. It's sad to think how obese the children now will be in the future.

Well said.

gambitsgurl

Just wait until they can run genetic tests to test your propensity to things like cancer, sickle cell, ALS, MS, or any other genetically tied disease. File marked. insurance set. Forehead stamped.

TaraMaria

You are right, gender and race...you are born with and proud of. Smoking is a choice. And I can see where obesity can be viewed as a choice. I just look at my past and my struggle with weight due to medical issues and it blows my mind. Can you imagine how interviews would go? You get called in for one, "Oh I'm sorry. You sounded thin and normal on the phone. You can just go home now." Will there be signs that say need not apply if you smoke or obese?

I completely agree that weight can be incredibly challenging. The same can be said about quitting smoking. I thought someone made an interesting point to say that perhaps people who are overweight or obese should pay higher health care costs... just like smokers.

That made the most sense to me. The person who was against the whole thing made a point that you can't punish people for being obese, its just going to lead to more discrimination in the work place. The whole thing was shocking since this whole thought never crossed my mind. Neive I am...

TaraMaria

Just wait until they can run genetic tests to test your propensity to things like cancer, sickle cell, ALS, MS, or any other genetically tied disease. File marked. insurance set. Forehead stamped.

Great, I'll never work again. Sigh...who wants to support me? )

gambitsgurl

They are trying to limit pre-existing conditions as a marker but once it's all socialized don't think "death panels" are a thing of myths. I saw it in the ALS community in Europe (NOT TO BASH EUROPE) but the care between socialized medicine and our private insurance for my husband was STAGGERING.

melodyg

Another reason for health insurance NOT to be tied to your job in my opinion...

I will say that I am obese but I am also very healthy. The health conditions I do have have nothing to do with obesity, and I am very offended at the thought of companies being able to discriminate based on weight (beyond what they already do... which is apparently not enforceable)

I also agree that smoking is a choice. I haven't seen any hiring bans of smokers (that doesn't mean they don't exist). I HAVE seen smoking being banned in the workplace... and that is a decision I completely agree with. I think half of my visits to the doctor while I was working were for asthma aggravated by walking through a cloud of smoke to get to work!

Also... gender does drive up health care costs. Insurance companies charge more to insure women of child-bearing age... and older men. (Guess who worked in companies I worked at where I had exorbitant health insurance costs?)

Uptopargolf

Well you can thank the health care bill for most of this.

When companies are forced to provide insurance it makes sense that they should be able to have a say, if someone is going to cost more to insure, of course I don't think it is right. However it is a sad truth that we live in.

Although I don't see obesity as the same as smoking, health wise it might be worse. Most companies will provide a gym membership or even a gym at the office now a days to keep people healthy.

Craig772

I'd hire someone on whether or not they fit the job profile, have or could develop the skills and are going to be cost effective. Businesses are not charities and need to make money. It's wrong to treat people inhumanely but it is right to treat employees as assets.

srcurran

Most states are "at will" which just means that an employer can end the employment relationship at any time, just as an employee can do the same.

srcurran

But beyond "legal", I feel that employers should be treating employees, recruits, shareholders and customers with respect and dignity and they'll end up being successful in the long run.

SarahNicole317

I'd hire someone on whether or not they fit the job profile, have or could develop the skills and are going to be cost effective. Businesses are not charities and need to make money. It's wrong to treat people inhumanely but it is right to treat employees as assets.

Well said.

Craig772

Wow that's a tough rule "at will". In the UK we have to go though lots and lots of stages to justify terminating someones employment.

cutmd

As a healthcare provider, I have seen first hand how expensive obesity can be. Even for patients with medical problems unrelated to their size. Once the patient reaches a certain size, they need a special bed. If they have or develop a disability, it takes more manpower to turn them. We get poor quality abdominal and pulmonary physical exams because of the padding, and the fat makes imaging more difficult or even impossible. Higher doses of medications are required, and there is a higher risk of infection with unrelated surgery. This is excluding all the sequelae of obesity like diabetes and heart disease.

That being said, there's no reason for a hiring ban. But i do think charging more is reasonable, frankly. Or you can look at it as a "healthy bmi discount". I think with health care insurance being available outside your employer this will be less of an issue. But let's face it, people don't avoid hiring obese people for money concerns, many people think overweight people are lazy, sloppy, or have no self control, etc. Just like with race or gender bias, it's hard to tell why you didn't get the job....

JaydeSkye

Here is my opinion on this, and take it as you will, hopefully not too personal.

I think it is wrong. I think the issue is not with obese people, but with the insurance laws, rules and regulations. Not to mention my complete DISCUST over the Healthcare Bill (which I read!). If the issues were addressed properly we wouldn't need to nickel and dime our hardworking American people.

Let's face it - we're all HERE because we're concerned about our health. Some want to loose, others want to maintain what they've lost and some want to improve their bodies. But, overall we all share the similar goals of wanting to make positive changes for ourselves. So - to me, this isn't an issue of whether or not people should be obsese, I think it's fair to conclude none of us would agree that being obese is healthy. And, again, no offense to anyone who IS obese & reading this, but it isn't healthy and I hope you are working towards making a positive change for yourself.

Now, the issue I have with this regulation - allowing companies to fire/layoff or not hire obese individuals is that we are now FORCING people to comply with a regulation based on personal choice. Does that not violate the Constitution? Do people not have the CHOICE to eat and live as they wish? Whether we agree with their personal lifestyle choices, or not? Are we not the SAME country that allows gay marriage and bans Christmas parties in the classrooms of public schools, because others may be offended? Offended for not being free to make PERSONAL LIFESTYLE CHOICES.

I advocate for people to be a healthy weight but this is beyond that, you have to see the bigger picture.

Think about WHO is the working class in this country. Not people who can afford to get adequate rest, take vacations, purchase healthy foods regardless of cost, hire personal trainers, live stress-free. We are talking about AVERAGE, middle and lower class Americans who show up to work each day exhausted, eatting whatever they could afford on their designated 30 minute lunch break - or, unpaid hour if they're really lucky.

I think that if the government can FORCE individuals to carry insurance and FORCE companies to provide benefits contingent upon employees' health, then I think the government should act in the best interest of its people and REQUIRE mandatory paid time off and adequate opportunites to health clubs, gyms and exercise equipment, as well as educating people on proper nutrition and restricting the use of certain chemicals that companies put into processed foods to add to shelf life.

This makes me VERY angry. Its another avenue to bleed the middle/lower class dry and squeeze us for all that we're worth. This isn't meant as a motivator to get us all in perfect health, its another way for them to cut corners and use us like sheep dogs. Except at least the farmer's paid for the sheepdog's vet bill and fed him healthy foods.

Thank you for posting this and I'm sorry to all of you that this will affect, whether it be loosing a job, healthcare - or the potential hardships you will face as a business owner. Hopefully by the time I'm old enough to run for President we still have a country...

Craig772

"Cutmd" good point about perception of obese people. I read somewhere a while back that most people perceive slimmer people to be more productive than obese people. But in the main it is just perception.

Loseittoo

I have no issues with it. After being super morbidly obese I can tell you its a choice. Its a choice to not eat right, its a choice to not exercise. Its a choice that costs all of us in higher medical premiums.

Its not a popular view but we have a obesity epidemic in this country. Something must be done.

anotheryearolder

I saw this one coming. The health care bill just isn't going to fly without trimming out a lot of people and conditions. The old and overweight will be among the first; many more will follow I fear. Can't do anything about my age but I can get thinner and more fit. Actually, the bill was what got me off my butt, into the gym, and on here.

LilynEdensmom

My big issue with this, other than the obvious, I'm obese (which did stun me when I found out) and honestly I can work just as hard as the "skinny" girls at work and at my job my weight does not effect any of my job ability (except for fitting into the playland tubes after kids who get stuck lol)...but if companies won't hire obese individuals, will they not, especially the ones with families to support just end up being supported by the state and tax payers?

**and I'm not even going to go into how this is or could be perceived as more freedoms being taken over by the government.

Nina74

In the medical community they are working on that obesity is NOT in your mind, but genetic, in most cases.

Of course they can make all sorts of reasons why not to hire someone.

If they do eventually find it is genetic, there are laws against genetic diseases:

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) can be found at 42 U.S.C. § 200 and following. This 2008 law prohibits employers from using an applicant's or employee's genetic information as the basis for employment decisions and requires employers to keep genetic information confidential.

GINA also prohibits employers from requiring or asking employees to provide genetic information. The law includes exceptions for information the employer learns inadvertently, information gathered pursuant to the certification requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act, and information used for genetic monitoring, among other things. Even if one of these exceptions applies, however, the employer must keep the information confidential and may not use it when making employment decisions.

GINA applies to:

private employers with at least 15 employees
the federal government
state governments
private and public employment agencies
labor organizations, and
joint labor-management committees.

dmossett

*cringing* I work for a health insurance company and have for 14 years. I am not going to touch on the HealthCare Reform bill (I don't feel warm and fuzzy about it and could spend countless hours complaining about it).

However, I wanted to point something out that has been in existance since the inception of health insurance. If any of you have insurance outside an employer (e.g. self-employed, individual coverage), or work for an employer with fewer than 51 employees, your insurance premiums are already being based on the medical history of yourself and your colleagues. In other words, the rates are set for a particular geographic location (based on cost of healthcare in that area) for an ideal applicant (not overweight, doesn't smoke, etc). However, if you are a smoker, or are overweight, or have certain medical conditions, you are automatically upcharged, and in most instances that upcharge is around 50%.

What's becoming more common place is now larger employers are starting to put in place a similar system to upcharge employees if they smoke, or are overweight. While I can understand their rationale for doing this, it kind of defeats the purpose if your spouse or child (up to age 26 in most cases) that you insure on your policy smokes or is overweight? The employers haven't developed a process for upcharging them, but I am sure that is in the works too.

SandraMay1982

Damn. and this is where I say. THANK GOD I live in Australia. It scares me hearing how people in the US go untreated for health problems purely because they can't afford it.

My friend here said that she couldn't afford to go to the doctor and she hadn't been in 5 years or something. She got a throat infection and didn't want to pay the $60 it would have cost to fix(doctors and antibiotics). We even have medicare where almost everyone gets part of the money they pay to the doctors back!

SandraMay1982

oooh. and I should add that we have things like "work choices" where employers have to give a reason for dismissal. everyone gets a 3 - 6 month probation, where if either employer or employee are unhappy with the work they can walk away with no problems in that 3 - 6 month probation. and that's a national thing.

I just find discrimination against anyone just. ugh. Imagine things like depression and the like will rise, the overweight people who aren't strong of mind, or can't fix it will be in a never ending spiral.

I really don't like it.

Sweet13_Princess

I thought employers weren't allowed to ban hiring certain types of people because it is considered discrimination???

Shannon

fitnesspirateninja

Honestly, this feels like a red herring issue. Yes, people are going to get all riled about about it because it touches on hot button topics like health insurance and obesity. But is this a real issue? Once, my co-workers and I all got our premiums increased because an employee's wife got breast cancer. She certainly didn't choose to get cancer. Should cancer survivors be banned from the workplace due to health care costs?

I honestly can't muster up the energy to get upset. I take it for granted that my health insurance company is going to screw me over. They're about the bottom line and the bottom line is money.