Starting in January, obesity will be a thing of the past for South Carolina government workers…or at least some of them!
South Carolina’s state employee insurance plan will cover obesity surgery for 100 workers on a first-come, first-serve basis. The surgeries cost about $24,000 each, which may prove to be a small price to pay for all the other obesity-related health problems that may be avoided with this new plan.
Currently, over $1 billion are spent each year in South Carolina on obesity-related health problems. Wow.
There├óΓé¼Γäós been debate over this matter, with some people being of the opinion that the state should encourage weight loss, but to a less extreme extent. We have some of our own questions/concerns, which are as follows…
-What happens to people who are nearly obese? If they know they can get free surgery, are we concerned they’ll purposely fatten up a bit more just for the benefit?
-Do you have to live in South Carolina for a specific period of time? Could a morbidly obese person move there right now, get a state job, and qualify for the surgery by January?
-Will people who are REALLY, REALLY obese get preference? We understand it’s “first come, first serve,” but somebody who weighs 750 pounds must get preference over a 300 pound person, right?
Do U think comped obesity surgery is the answer to South Carolina’s problem?
[Image via AP Images.]