Not for the taxpayers who are footing the bill.
Not for the families whose loved ones are suffering.
And certainly not for the people who are among the 45 percent of Alabama state employees who were screened recently by the State Employee's Insurance Board and found to be obese.
Not only will they have to pay more for their health insurance, they stand the risk of developing a host of diseases, including diabetes and heart problems.
Fat is not fun.
Fat is not funny.
Fat is serious.
And fat is not always the fault of the person carrying around the extra weight.
A host of conflicting attitudes and interests play into the issue of obesity — both nationally and here in Alabama.
First, obesity among Alabama state employees is 15 percentage points higher than the state as a whole — and Alabama's percentage is the second highest in the nation.
Admittedly, many state jobs are sedentary, and sedentary folks have the tendency to collect the pounds.
Of those who are overweight, nearly 20 percent can be classified as morbidly obese.
For a variety of reasons, many of them health-related, those suffering from obesity retire early. That causes the state to lose valuable, experienced employees, and the state health insurance system to pay for the treatment of illnesses that exist or will soon follow.
To recoup the expenses — the experience is lost forever — next year the state will begin adding a $25 per month surcharge to the insurance cost of employees who fall into the obese category. When one considers that full-time employees who do not smoke pay nothing for health insurance, one would still consider this a good deal.
But this should not be seen as a punitive measure to punish the obese and shore up the budget. If employees go through a free health screening and participate in a wellness program designed to help them control their weight, they can get a discount on their health insurance. Those in the high-risk category will be required to see a doctor before they avoid the payment.
It is a carrot-and-stick approach that even advocates for the obese find laudable, especially since state health insurance covers all or part of other procedures that help those with weight problems.
All-in-all, this is a program that is good for the taxpayer, good for the state and good for the employees.
