Get Fit Or Pay Up
As health care costs continue to rise and talk of some sort of reform remains a large part of the upcoming presidential elections, some companies and businesses are taking matters into their own hands. The latest idea is to charge higher health insurance fees to people with less-than-stellar health. Here’s how it works: all plan participants start with the lower costs and are then screened medically. If their scores are found to be lacking, they are assigned to a health coach to help them improve. If the participant decides he doesn’t want to bother, he’s charged more. The details:
“Those who don’t [score well] will be urged to work with a plan-provided health coach to improve their scores. If they don’t take the tests, won’t work with a coach, or slack off on, say, an assigned exercise regimen, they’ll get higher co-pays and deductibles.”
Criteria considered to get the better rates include hitting targets for body mass index, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
So next time you’re sweating out that five-mile run at the gym, motivate yourself to keep going by remembering you’re saving money with every step.
Sweat More, Pay Less [Business Week]
(Photo: Gee-Kay)
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.
