Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who recently published a controversial op-ed on health care, announced that the company will soon offer higher store discounts for healthier employees. The company will consider blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI) in determining the discount level. “Our intention for all of these lifestyle programs is that they are empowering and fun for Team Members who enjoy a challenge,” Mackey wrote in a letter to employees. “In offering the higher discounts to Team Members who choose to participate, we take nothing away from Team Members who choose not to do so…”[%comments]
Whole Foods Puts Its Mouth Where the Money Is
TAGS: health care
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Regarding the BMI targets, I get really aggravated at the standard economist thinking that the reason people are fat is that it’s not costing them enough. These must be people who are not close with anyone struggling with a weight problem. There are very strong biological and psychological forces at work that keep fat people fat, in spite of the general stigma that society assigns to obesity. All you will accomplish by taxing fat people is making fat people poorer.
I completely agree with this. If you’re a fatty and don’t want to participate….well then you have the same coverage.
If you’re healthy etc… then you get a discount (as you should!!)
Reiterate what Gary said…BMI sucks. I’m sure there is a more comprehensive way to measure one’s health/fitness.
It seems to me that you should give the unhealthy people a larger discount at Whole Foods. This would encourage them to eat better.
AaronS, it doesn’t matter how hard you try or how much you progress, it matters how healthy you ARE. That’s what’s costing Whole Foods money with their premiums, and that’s what’s costing the country with the obesity epidemic. I don’t care if someone is 500 lbs and work really hard to lose 100 lbs, they’re still 400 lbs and are going to cost me (once I start getting taxed for public health care) because they are unhealthy.
Will Whole Foods get a discount from its employee health insurance provider for this?
I’m surprised that Freakonomics has not picked up on the fact that low BMI actually has a negative impact on morbidity. And, not offering a greater discount to those who could improve their health by eating better Whole Foods is actually reinforcing bad eating habits.
Shaq is probably a little overweight, but BMI is really screwed up. Calvin Johnson and Adrian Peterson are considered obese.
This sounds like a way of encouraging employees to become skinnier. More skinny people working there looks good when your brand is selling food that’s healthy for you (ignore the actual reality here, and just consider perception)