Alabama To Charge Overweight Government Employees For Health Insurance

Montgomery, AL (AHN) - Being out of shape will soon cost Alabama state government employees. Overweight or otherwise unhealthy employees have been given a deadline to work on getting fit or start paying $25 a month for their health insurance.

Currently, state employees don't pay a health insurance premium.

The state's has 37,527 employees and anyone who has serious health problems, including being overweight has a year to start getting rid of those problems before having to pay for their health insurance.

Alabama will become the first state to charge employees for being overweight, but Alabama, already charges smokers a premium for the habit. Other states reward employees for healthy habits.

Among the conditions that state employees must work on getting rid of, if they have any of them, are serious problems with blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose, along with obesity.

But it isn't just being overweight that can trigger charging employees for their health insurance. Every employee must undergo free health screenings for various conditions and enroll in wellness programs if anything is found.