Alabama first state to charge state employees for being overweight

Faced with the third-highest obesity rate in the nation, Alabama announced a plan to begin charging obese state employees $25 a month for insurance that they had been getting for free (Source: “Extra pounds mean insurance fees for Ala. Workers,” Associated Press, Aug. 22, 2008).

The new policy was approved this week but will not go into effect in January 2010 so that workers have time to start losing weight. While other states have given financial incentives for state employees who adopt healthier lifestyles, Alabama is the first to actually charge workers for not losing weight. The state currently charges employees who smoke $24 a month for their insurance benefits. 

The State Employees' Insurance Board will apply the obesity charge to anyone with a body mass index of 35 or higher who is not making progress toward losing weight, although it has not yet determined how much progress a person would have to show to avoid the charge.