Health checks paid for by - you

The Victorian Government has announced that health checks will be given to workers in some sort of oddball attempt to reduce workplace injuries:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23399322-661,00.html

Ok. Firstly - when was the last time diabetes counted as a workplace injury. Really.

Secondly - as has been pointed out, if health is the issue, why are employers paying for it through Worksafe Victoria? Why not use the excess funds to reduce the premiums, therefore reducing employers' costs, therefore helping small business?

I've got more - what about the people who don't work? People who are students, stay at home parents, unemployed, etc? I can see the future economic benefits in having a healthier population (or at least one who knows how sick it is) so why leave anyone out?

And also it appears that the employers will not be given the results. Good. At some stage we have to respect the privacy of the individual!

3 people I work with have joined gyms/workout groups/health clubs recently. I didn't tell them to do that. In the morning when I go for a run with my friends we pass two groups of "Bootcamp" training. Did all there employers tell them to do that?

The Federal Government is going to launch an enquiry into the National Obesity Epidemic

which reminds me of this song by Lazyboy (underwear goes inside the pants):

Americans, let's face it: We've been a spoiled country for a long time.
Do you know what the number one health risk in America is?
Obesity. They say we're in the middle of an obesity epidemic.
An epidemic like it is polio.
Like we'll be telling our grand kids about it one day.
The Great Obesity Epidemic of 2004.
"How'd you get through it grandpa?"
"Oh, it was horrible Johnny, there was cheesecake and pork chops everywhere."

We're obese because we eat too much crap and don't exercise enough. I'm sure it's not much more complex than that. The fastfood industry has hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on advertising and marketing. The people who grow carrots don't have that much money. Maybe it would be better to launch an enquiry into how to encourage people to take care of their bodies?

I'm running in the Run for the kids in Melbourne this weekend with 29000 other people - how many of those are doing it because their employer is making them?