Should People Who Play Sports Pay Higher Medical Insurance Premiums?

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Hi. I'm Art Caplan. I'm at the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU's Grossman School of Medicine.

If you're watching this and you're anywhere near Seattle, Washington; anywhere near Florida; or anywhere where it might be not oppressively hot outside but encouraging of some people who might want to go out and get a little exercise, you've undoubtedly seen or heard of pickleball.

This took off, I think, out of Bainbridge Island, Washington. It was meant as a gentlemanly game where people didn't exert themselves too much. The joke is you could play it while holding a drink in one hand. It's gotten more popular and more competitive. It's kind of a miniature version of tennis, with a smaller court, a plastic ball, and a wooden paddle. The ball can go back and forth rapidly, but you're always playing doubles and it doesn't take as much energy, exertion, and, if you will, fitness as a game like singles tennis.

Pickleball has a downside. The upside is it's gotten many people outdoors getting some exercise and socializing. That's all to the good. But a recent studysuggested that there are about $500 million worth of injuries coming into the healthcare system associated with pickleball.