Wellness - Good Advice for Living, Bad Advice for Saving Money

BrooklynDodger senses an offensive to undermine support for health insurance by blaming the victims who get sick, suggesting to others they can opt out of illness. For the moment, forget health and wellbeing. Employers make money on smoking, with a slight gain in health insurance costs from smoking, and a pure gain in pension costs. Likely they lose money on alcohol, because of increased longevity and younger age illness. Overweight is likely a wash or even a gain compared to normal, while excesses are found in obsese and underweight.


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http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/thompson16e_20050416.htm

Automakers urged to promote good health
Ex-health care agency chief says wellness programs help industry, workers

April 16, 2005
BY KATIE MERXFREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Automakers need to push health care to the top of the national agenda or in five or six years they could be facing tough choices, such as having to drop medical coverage for some workers, the former head of the nation's top health care agency told the Detroit Regional Chamber on Friday.

Speaking to about 120 of the state's business, political and health care leaders, Tommy Thompson said the nation is better off maintaining a system in which health insurance is sponsored primarily by employers than moving to a government-controlled health care system.
Those in attendance included Gov. Jennifer Granholm, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and representatives from the U.S. automakers.