NC Fat Tax – North Carolina may soon become the second state to impose a fat tax, or specifically penalize state employees insurance plans based on their body mass among other health factors.
Dubbed the NC Fat Tax, state workers will also pay more for health coverage is they use tobacco products.
The problem with the NC fat tax, is that the primary indicator of whether a person is overweight is by using the BMI calculator, or the Body Mass Index calculator. This would indeed penalize over weight state employees, but will also penalize very healthy people as well.
Here is how to calculate your BMI: (source: CDC)
Take your height in inches and square it.
Divide your weight in pounds by the height figure.
Multiply that by 703.
Example: Weight = 150 pounds, height = 5 feet, 5 inches (65 inches)
[150 รท (65) {+2}] x 703 = 24.96
What it means:
18.5 or less – underweight
18.5 to 24.9 — normal
25 to 29.9 — overweight
30 or above — obese
A man who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and is a body builder that weighs 200 pounds would be seen as obese according to the NC Fat Tax BMI calculator, even though he has very little fat content in his body.
Those favoring the North Carolina fat tax say that over weight people and people who use tobacco drive up the cost of coverage in N.C. Those opposing the proposed fat tax say that it is an invasion of privacy.
Other states are eyeballing N.C. because their states could be next to consider health indicators to place employees in cost of coverage brackets.
How about you? Pro or con about the NC Fat Tax?
Tags: diet, exercise, healthcare, NC, NC fat tax
October 10th, 2009 at 6:15 am
[...] North Carolina will soon become the first state to tax the fat. Lawmakers plan on enacting a bill that would penalize overweight individuals based upon their BMI (body mass index). [...]
October 10th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Since everyone now is measured as a specified defined dollar value instead of a human being it is only fitting they be subjected to such regulatory supervision. Not to mention how politically correct it is.
And please be sure that the fat tax follows the example set by the Ted Kennedy bill that was incorporated into the propsosed national health plan from which the President and Congress will be exempt and will have their own private gold plated health coverage.
If citizen apathy is this rampant, hey! Let the good times roll! They deserve it.
Go poloticians!
October 17th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
What I’ve noticed most is the lack of mentioning those that suffer weight issues not from eating but from medical issues like thyroid disorders, cancer, and so on.
The second issue that I can see is the possibility of discrimination followed by a whopper law suit. Calling it a “fat tax” is an open invitation for a suit.
It would be better to refer to these items as a “sweets tax” or “luxury foods tax” which is also more applicable to the intent.