The fact that people who are overweight and obese have higher health care costs has led some people to suggest that they should pay higher taxes. Some researchers, however, point out that:

A) the shortened life expectancy for the overweight and obese offsets the additional medical costs.
B) the economic benefit associated with treating overweight and obese people offsets the cost.
C) people who are overweight or obese are already paid less than equivalent employees who are not overweight.
D) relatively few people are classified as overweight or obese.

Answer: C
Rationale: Research on employment statistics indicates that workers who are overweight or obese are paid less than thin colleagues with similar qualifications—a finding that has led economists to suggest that the disparity in wage earnings is about equal to the size of the difference in medical costs incurred by thin versus overweight and obese people.