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PETA Wants Meat-Eaters to Pay More For Insurance

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

The largest current outbreak of E. coli O157:H7  infection in North America appears to be centered in southeastern Ontario, where health officials suspect  that the disease is spreading via romaine lettuce.

Given that possibility and the fact that other widespread foodborne illness cases in the past two years have been linked to veggies, officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) may have a hole in their argument when it comes to urging the health insurance industry to raise rates for meat-eaters.

In a Nov. 10 letter to the head of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said the "effects of E. coli on meat-eaters and the mountain of evidence linking meat consumption to some of our nation's deadliest diseases'' should correlate to lower health premiums for vegetarians and higher rates for meat-eaters. Reiman listed other reasons, as well.

A Blue Cross spokesman told KCCI-TV that Vermont prohibits insurers from varying rates based on nutritional habits of policyholders. The spokesman also said Blue Cross has no information one way or the other if vegetarians are more healthy.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on November 15, 2008 (boomark / email).