Chicago’s “Wellness” Program for City Employees— Imagine if This Went National!

If employed by Chicago, you’ll take whatever “preventive” medicine the city demands—or pay far more in insurance premiums!


Under Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan, unveiled last week, city employees must enroll in a conventional medicine–structured “wellness program” to manage chronic health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Employees who do not participate in the program will be required to pay an extra $50 per month in insurance premiums for each family member covered.

The Chicago program includes “enhanced screening and wellness training to establish benchmarks and long-term goals, including weight loss, medication, exercise, and kicking the smoking habit.” A form of this plan appears in the healthcare reform act as well—which should be no surprise, as Rahm Emanuel was one of its chief architects.

So imagine this picture. Conventional medical doctors tell you to take your blood pressure medication, whether you think it wise or not, whether you want to try natural alternatives or not. And if you don’t, you pay. Same for taking statins for high cholesterol, medications which many medical professionals agree are really dangerous to your health.

Preventive medicine is a hotly debated topic, as it should be. But for Rahm Emmanuel, it’s one-size-fits-all. You had better have your blood sugar at a specified level, or you will be required to take highly dangerous diabetes drugs. At least they won’t fire you or put you in jail if you don’t comply—it will just cost you money. So far.

This kind of incipient medical fascism is mainly a gift to Big Pharma, and we can be sure that Big Pharma is cheering Emmanuel on.