The strenuous activities required of out-of-shape employees by the program would not by themselves generate medical expenses greater than any reduction achieved by the program. The medical expenses incurred by employees who are required to participate in the fitness program would be less than those incurred by employees who are not required to participate. A person who is fit would receive a routine physical checkup by a doctor less regularly than would a person who is out of shape. The fitness program would serve more employees who are out of shape than it would employees who are fit.
Personnel officer: The exorbitant cost of our health-insurance benefits reflects the high dollar amount of medical expenses incurred by our employees. Employees who are out of shape, as a group, have higher doctor bills and longer hospital stays than do their colleagues who are fit. Ttherefore, since we must reduce our health-insurance costs, we should offer a rigorous fitness program of jogging and weight lifting to all employees, and require employees who are out of shape to participate.
The conclusion reached by the personnel officer depends on which of the following assumptions?