Without argument, the U.S. is intended to be a free country, yet arguments abound as
to how free we really are, as well as
how free we really should be. To illustrate the argument, the City of New York recently attempted to regulate our health by eliminating large sugar-filled drinks – a move that caused uproar from the conservative right, declaring that our government was trying to control our every move and deny us our freedom. In that vein, should we be free to smoke cigarettes,
drink excessive alcohol and sugar, over eat, and not exercise while still being guaranteed
access to affordable healthcare? In
recent years, the answer to that question has become “yes”. As America casts their vote to the left,
we make the statement that we have the freedom to be cavalier with our
health while expecting a safety net when our health fails. So where do we find the
balance between affordable health care and the freedom to be ill?
The answer to this question has already been
determined. The consequences will be
coming soon, and it will come in a surprising way. Because we have asked our government to force
insurance companies to cover everyone regardless of the risks, insurance
companies will respond by raising the rates that corporations pay to cover
their employees. Most corporations will
not immediately force all employees to pay a greater share of healthcare costs
right away because they want to preserve employee retention and morale. Instead, corporations will find ways to
control their risks. They cannot fire unhealthy employees,
and they cannot deny their healthcare.
The only thing they can do is to incentivize employees to get healthier. Employees are now being asked by their
employers to take voluntary health screenings.
We are free to decline the health screen, but we will pay a higher share of
our insurance out of our paycheck if we make this choice. If we take the health screen and are found to
be healthy, our insurance costs remain the same or may even be reduced. If we take the health screen and are found to be ill or at risk, we then have the option to modify our behavior or take a cut
out of our paycheck to cover insurance.
As we continue to rely on our employers to provide our
health insurance, eventually we will be screened, prodded, sampled, questioned,
and then asked to modify our behavior to make us healthier. This may mean quitting smoking, or taking
alcohol abuse classes, or losing a specified amount of weight, or hitting a
certain target of cholesterol reduction, or even keeping a workout log. We will be asked to do this for two reasons; one, because our employer cares about our health, and two, because our employer
cares about the cost of our healthcare. Our
health will not be defined by how we feel or what a doctor thinks. Health is more likely become a matter of hitting
certain standards determined by insurance companies. Either way, our health will be regulated, or
at least incentivized by the people who are in control of our prosperity.
So, what is the difference if we are regulated by our government
or if we are regulated by our employer?
Not much, except that we can hold a corporation liable or change employers if we believe we are treated unfairly. It is reasonable to say this is the less frightening scenario. Either way, the state of our
health and the things we do to our health will be someone else’s
business. We will no longer be in the
position to eat as we want, drink as we want, and relax as we want. We will be charged by our employers to live a
healthier life or pay the consequences. For better or worse, we are no longer free to
be ill.
Tony F. 2013
