Pay for your choices: Higher insurance for smokers, obese makes sense
North Carolina is weighing in on the fatty cost of state employee health insurance.This month, the state notified all its employees that if they are obese or if they smoke, they will pay more for health insurance in the near future.This is a good move. Taxpayers who lead a healthy lifestyle should not be forced to pay for those state workers who do not.State employees who use tobacco or have a body mass index above a specified level and don’t quit smoking or lose weight will be placed in an insurance plan that pays 70 percent of claims.