America, take care of your health – or else

“Or else” means you’re probably going to need a second job if you don’t want to participate in providing your personal health information to your health insurance carrier.

In an effort to regulate health insurance costs, more and more companies are demanding that employees get on a scale and fill out  a wellness profile – or else – they will be subject to a monthly surcharge.

The latest example of this is Penn State where administrators have started a new campaign “Take Care of Your Health.” Penn State employees must now submit to a health assessment including vitals like weight, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure, and answer an online wellness questionnaire. And if they refuse, they will be paying a $100 monthly penalty on their health insurance premiums.

Whatever happened to covering preexisting conditions? I guess that definition will slightly change as more data comes in and is analyzed by the health insurance industry and our beloved, well-organized federal government.

Close your eyes and look into the future: There is going to be a two-tier system. One tier will be socialized medicine: You get what you get and nothing more. And the other is individualized premiums that will be custom-made and priced depending on how you fit the mold of “perfect health.” If you can afford that, well then, you must be part of the 1 percent.

The rest of us, well, we voted for change – and we certainly got it.