After two scrubbed launches, State Employees Association of North Carolina Executive Director Dana Cope appeared on NBC's Today Show to criticize a new policy that puts state employees who are obese or smokers in a more expensive health plan.

Cope was featured in a story postponed from Thursday's and, then, Friday's shows that highlighted the changes in the state employees health plan that take effect in the next two years. North Carolina is only the second state to impose the financial penalty on the obese.

State health plan officials are aiming to both improve workers' health and bring down medical costs. Smoking and obesity are both linked to a variety of maladies that are expensive to treat. On the show, Cope emphasized his organization's criticism that the health plan is pushing penalties for bad lifestyles instead of rewards for good health.

"It’s all stick and no carrots," Cope said. "There’s a proper way to do that and it’s not all based on punishment. It should be incentives built in."

Here's a link to the whole story.  

Dana Cope, president of the State Employees Association of N.C., got bumped.

Now we're not saying he was bumped by the dog who can read. But the dog was on the Today Show this morning and Cope was not. Just sayin'.

Cope was invited so he could decry the State Health Plan's initiative to charge smokers and obese people more for benefits. SEANC sent a message to members, encouraging them to tape the appearance (since they'd all be at work and not watching TV, of course).

So, like any self-respecting blogger, Dome got up early to watch and post.

Dome, who rarely catches the Today Show, did see a segment about Willow the dog who does tricks on cue card command, coverage of Harry Connick Jr.'s outrage over a blackface performance on an Australian variety show and a story about Michelle Obama's genealogy.

Cope's appearance has been rescheduled for Friday. Woof!

Senate-elect Kay Hagan speaks about her victory on the "Today Show" this morning.

On NBC's "Today Show" this morning, John Edwards denied suggestions that his campaign is finished if he doesn't win or show strong in Thursday's caucuses.

"We have great energy and momentum here," he said from a Storm Lake hotel. "And this message (of fighting for the middle-class) will resonate every single place in America."