Aiken County Sen. Greg Ryberg has suggested recently that state employees who are grossly obese should pay additional premiums for their state health coverage.
Sen. Ryberg is correct in noting that obesity is a considerable health problem in South Carolina. The state ranks fifth fattest in the nation according to a 2008 analysis by CalorieLab, which is dedicated to promoting healthy eating. Overweight individuals are more likely to have serious health problems, including diabetes, which require more medical treatments and an increased amount of health care costs.
Rather than punishing those who are overweight with additional health insurance costs, it would be advisable to provide positive incentives for those under the state health insurance plan. One of the problems with many health care plans is that they are too reactive and provide little in the way of coverage for preventive medicine.
Paying for regular checkups and reducing premiums for those who lead a healthy lifestyle — not smoking, keeping fit and eating healthy — should be pursued. That would be a big step toward making South Carolina a healthier state.
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