Obese workers getting smaller pay Stanford study ties lower wages to highe

[RamboLiberal]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/12/BUG1HCNN6A1.DTL&type=health

Employers may be compensating for the expected higher health costs of obese workers by giving them slimmer paychecks, according to a just- released study.

Previous studies have shown that severely overweight workers get paid less than other employees. But in the latest look at the issue, researchers at Stanford University have found that the pay gap exists only in workplaces with employer-paid health insurance.

"We view this as evidence that the higher expected expense of obese people is being passed along in the form of lower wages," said study co-author Kate Bundorf, assistant professor of health research and policy at Stanford.

The study was published online as a working paper on the Web site of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit Massachusetts research organization.

[SoCalDem]

1. Just another reason why we need unions everywhere

With unions, everything is spelled out..everyonbe hnows what everyone else makes, and it's harder for employers to get sneaky with their wage scales.

[Sugarbleus]

2. That sounds about right.... elsewise Health Insurance Companies

will KEEP finding reasons to curb benefits to employees. If you smoke, if you drink, if you have depression--using anti depressants, if you are a woman of child bearing years, if you drive a fast car or race cars on the weekend, if you are a risk taker and climb mountains or bungee jump...ANYTHING to keep the workers down.. APPALLING!!

Which reminds me of the usage of loyalty cards via grocery stores et al..THEY keep track of what you buy; whether to eat or for whatever...guns? Cigs? They can share that info with Health Insurance companies AND the Gov. NOT GOOD.

[maddezmom]

3. kick to combine

[icymist]

4. Perils of obesity extend to pay (Seattle PI)

Monday, May 16, 2005

Perils of obesity extend to pay

By VICTORIA COLLIVER
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Employers may be compensating for the expected higher health costs of obese workers by giving them slimmer paychecks, according to a new study.

Previous studies have shown that severely overweight workers get paid less than other employees. But in the latest look at the issue, researchers at Stanford University have found that the pay gap exists only in workplaces with employer-paid health insurance.

"We view this as evidence that the higher expected expense of obese people is being passed along in the form of lower wages," said study co-author Kate Bundorf, assistant professor of health research and policy at Stanford.

The study was published online as a working paper on the Web site of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a non-profit Massachusetts research organization.

(More)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/224349_obesepay16.html

[merwin]

5. Uh. That's ridiculous. Health care costs are the same for EVERY employee

in the company, regardless of his or her weight.

It's simply a popularity contest. The better you look, the more apt you are to get promoted.

[mcscajun]

6. More corporate bullshit.

I was a bit overweight when I was hired by a major NYC bank in 1971. I was not added to the health plan for the first year (some kind of probationary exclusion because of my weight.)

In the 32 years I worked there, even though I put more weight on over the years, I had very, very low absenteeism, almost never saw a doctor or made other claims on the health plan, and had exactly one surgery -- in 2000.

So much for the generalization of overweight people being a drain on health costs.

[UpInArms]

7. that's freakin' ridiculous

healthcare costs and employee pay do not have that relationship.

:crazy:

[kainah]

8. what bullshit

The fact that overweight people are paid less has been well documented for decades and, back in the 70s, I clearly remember a study of this same situation and that some employers were honest enough to just say openly that overweight people deserved to be paid less because they weren't as versatile, i.e., the employers didn't think they could be used for public relations on behalf of the company.

One of the reasons I remember that study so clearly is because, at the time, I was responsible for the pay scales at a community action center. We had one employee who was very overweight but she was, without doubt, our best social worker. The report came out at the same time I was making recommendations to the board for raises. I checked the salary of Ms. Overweight and was pleased to see that she was being paid exactly in line with her experience and tenure. But I gave her an extra $200 that year (which was no small bit back then) just because I was so pissed off at this survey.

[central scrutinizer]

9. Appearances matter in hiring and promotion

We would like to think that all decisions are based on objective qualifications, but subjective, emotional criteria often intrude. This is just one more manifestation of that.