Keep lifting the fork to your mouth and you'll have to fork over some cash. This is essentially the message the state of Alabama is sending out to its 37,000+ employees.

The state has already had a policy in place where smokers can either quit their habits or they must contribute to the costs of their health insurance. Recently state employees were told that they have a year to get their BMI under 35 or else they'll be charged $25 per month toward their insurance costs.

The state also has an upcoming plan in place for 2010 where, if state employees don't take free health screenings the state offers for them, they'll also be charged. If employees take the screening and conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol are found, the employees will be offered free doctor visits and wellness programs to help improve the problem. A year later, they'll be screened again and if there's no improvement, they will be charged, too.

This is certainly a complex situation. On one hand, I think it's good that the state is trying to motivate employees to make positive lifestyle changes and that they're giving them some time to do so before charging them. And, insurance is terribly expensive -- more so for people who insurance companies deem high risk. As someone who's had to pay for her own insurance for years and years, I would rather an employer take steps to divert costs and maintain an insurance program for everyone, rather than risk dropping insurance coverage. (Though I highly doubt there's any risk of state employees losing insurance benefits.) Lastly, a BMI of 35 isn't unreasonable -- after all, a BMI of 30 is technically considered obese.

On the other hand, this is one terribly slippery slope. Smoking and weight are, in most cases, lifestyle habits. And the conditions they're considering charging for in the future can be positively impacted by lifestyle changes. But where does this end? Will they start charging extra if you have a family history of cancer? There's nothing you can do to personally change that. What if you're a woman in child-bearing years? Will you have to pay more on the off-chance you decide to get pregnant?

While I think it's great when any employer promotes health and wellness for their employees, I'm not entirely sold on the state of Alabama's methods. What do you think?