The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled a free Web site application last week called LEANWorks designed to motivate employers to start healthy living programs and weight loss measures for their employees.

But a keystone to the LEANWorks program, the "obesity cost calculator" for companies to estimate how much their obese and overweight employees cost them each year, has started a debate between some public health experts and size discrimination activists.

The obesity cost calculator lets employers enter their employees' age, gender and Body Mass Index numbers and get an estimate of how much their obese and overweight employees cost in insurance and missed work days each year. While some public health officials see this as a necessary way to get preventive programs off the ground, some size advocates say the calculator is fuel for needless size discrimination.