South Carolina has one of the highest obesity rates in the nation and now a state lawmaker says obese people need to pay for it.
He wants obese state employees to pay an extra 25 dollars on their insurance.
Obesity is the number one health crisis we are dealing with in this country according to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center Doctor Otis Baughman and he says it is costing all of us.
Dr. Baughman says, "If you take a look at obesity and all the diseases and problems that come from it that pretty much has taken care of 40 cents out of every healthcare dollar we spend. That's the cost."
Dr. Baughman says a new proposal by State Senator Greg Ryberg to charge state employees that are obese an extra 25 dollars on their monthly insurance bill may be just what the doctor ordered.
According to Dr. Baughman, "One person gets diabetes you pretty much guarantee they are going to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol with it you can pretty much guarantee you are going to be paying for 8 to 14 medications for the rest of your life to manage it and the only way top prevent that is to lose the weight."
Senator Ryberg says the fee will be based on an employees' body-mass index and weight and height measurement.
Sen. Ryberg says, "It is actually trying to stimulate people to think that what they put them in their mouth is causing them an unhealthy lifestyle and in many cases the back injury and knee injuries that people incur are a direct result of decisions they make at the dinner table."
He says it won't include people who have medical conditions that cause them to gain weight and the bill will be fashioned after a similar bill that passed in Alabama.
Dr. Baughman says he thinks the plan may just work because studies have shown that when it comes to weight and your wallet, the wallet usually wins.
The cost of obesity is staggering.
According to South Carolina's DHEC, obesity related health costs reached one billion in the state in 2003.
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