To quit smoking is tough but with enough struggle and determination it is at least possible, whereas for some obese people no matter what they try will it's physically impossible they will ever be thin. So I'd compare financially penalizing these people to charging more for ethnicity if it averages higher health care costs. People need to understand obesity is a complex medical issue and not just some result of poor personal decisions that can be penalized away.

^^^^^THIS!!!!

My dh's company started doing these shenanigans last year. They are charging more for smoking, obesity and cholesterol. It's outrageous!!!! My dh rarely goes to the doc. He went a couple of months ago for his first physical in like more than 10 years. Once several years ago he dropped something on his foot at work and broke it and had to see a doc and miss about a week's work. Other than that he might have missed 5 days for illness in the 20 years he's worked there. Yet he is being charged extra because he smokes and has high cholesterol. It is WRONG on so many levels it is not funny.

Now me, I no longer smoke, have great numbers, am no longer overweight.....but I have to see a doc once every three months, I am on warfarin for a genetic blood clotting disorder and have to take it every day and have my blood tested once a month. A couple of years ago I spent a total of about 6 weeks in the hospital due to clots. They are not charging me extra. I don't think they should since I have no control over my genetics, but it also seems senseless to charge someone who rarely uses the insurance more just because they aren't meeting someone elses' health expectations.

This line of thinking makes me SO angry. What happens when they start charging us more because we are not eating the way the government tells us we should be???? All of us here would be paying more. (I realize this is unlikely/not feasible, but what if it were?)