I want to move to Milan!

**amykhar** · #1 08-13-2007, 02:55 PM

Italian town to pay residents to shed flab | Oddly Enough | Reuters

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #2 08-13-2007, 03:11 PM

sweet.

**thinkerlady**[$] · #3 08-13-2007, 03:36 PM

Ok--let's go. I'm going with you!!

**drmomentum**[$] · #4 08-13-2007, 04:08 PM

35% are overweight or obese? I guess they can afford to pay.

Here, we're looking at 65% of the population.

If you are carrying around a few extra pounds, America offers you something that Milan doesn't. Company.

**theworm**[$] · #5 08-13-2007, 06:04 PM

Beats what we do here in the good old USA. Our niece works for Clarian Health. Here is their progressive policy:

Quote:

Clarian, an Indiana hospital chain, will dock $5 off worker paychecks for smoking, $10 off for being overweight, and $5 each for high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. The fines could add up to $780 a year for an especially hedonistic, smoking, donut-popping employee.

video link here

*emeleel* · #6 08-13-2007, 07:07 PM

I know we've yakked about the possibility of employers doing this, but I didn't know that anyone had actually implemented it.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #7 08-13-2007, 07:07 PM

Yikes, that's awful! My HMO is ofering to pay for Weight Wathers, Curves, and who knows what else. I think they are going with the carrot rather than the stick.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #8 08-13-2007, 09:02 PM

:O

I could lose weight if someone paid me to. If someone was fining me for it? I'd probably find another job.

I wonder how that isn't discriminatory labor practice?

**mtomm**[$] · #9 08-13-2007, 09:10 PM

I just got a water bottle, t-shirt and cap in the mail from my insurer. I'll also be getting a rebate on my premium at the end of the year for reaching certain goals. That's almost getting paid for getting healthier.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #10 08-13-2007, 09:56 PM

Margo, that's so cool! When #1 was new, I got a water bottle, a child developement book and a cute photo album, all because I was nursing. I really like my HMO.

**Prepoia**[$] · #11 08-13-2007, 10:08 PM

I don't understand. I thought Canadians had a national health care network. You can have a health care network too? (Edited to delete the name of your company, sorry).

**jgibson2**[$] · #12 08-13-2007, 10:42 PM

Depending on what Clarian already charges their employees as their portion of health insurance premiums, you might come out ahead even with the $780/year if you don't meet any of their goals.

It does make me wonder how they can get away with doing that to nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, lab techs, and xray techs - given that there's a shortage of all of the above most places. It makes me suspect that the deal isn't really as bad as it sounds or they'd have a really hard time staffing the place.

I also wonder how this meets HIPAA standards.

frazzledspice · #13 08-14-2007, 11:01 AM

I would rather see the carrot than the stick (whether it's in euros or good old American dollars.)

I always think about a co-worker of my husband's back in the late 1980's. We all had young families then.

He was participating in a weight loss competition with a few of the other guys. Towards the end of the competition, he wore some sort of plastic suit so that he would become almost dehydrated and win the competition.

I'm afraid that's what could happen with too many sticks.

A few years later, at a CYO benefit basketball game on Long Island, this same guy collapsed and died of a heart attack with his wife, three kids, and all their friends in attendance.

We lived in St. Louis by then, but I can't help but think he had probably done something harebrained before the game to 'get into shape.'

**hadassahchana**[$] · #14 08-14-2007, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Prepoia said

I don't understand. I thought Canadians had a national health care network. You can have a health care network too? (Edited to delete the name of your company, sorry).

Sandy, if you are talking to me, my HMO is in the States. I have HAP, and I pay $$ every month to keep getting this high quality of healthcare in Michigan.

**Prepoia**[$] · #15 08-14-2007, 12:56 PM

Yes, Cindy I was wondering. I didn't know that you could do that (or would want to) because of how health care is handled in Canada. I was just curious, although I know you've mentioned taking the kids to hospitals here in Michigan before. That's great! The best of both worlds. My daughter had some surgery done in Canada once but it was considered cosmetic so we paid for it. I know though that our insurance covers us in Canada and other countries. When we had an illness while visiting Italy, we and our insurance were charged nothing. We were amazed!