AA112

In this argument, the business manager suggests providing a well-equipped gym for Saluda's municipal employees so as to reduce the cost of group health insurance coverage. This argument is built on a research showing that those who exercise regularly are hospitalized less than half as often as those who don't exercise. Plausible at first sight, this argument actually rests on evidence partially interpreted and a series of unsubstantiated assumptions, which render the conclusion unpersuasive as it stands. A careful examination of the argument as below will reveal how untenable the author's conclusion is.

First of all, the author unfairly assumes that the reason for those who exercise regularly to be hospitalized less often can be entirely attributed to exercises. However, this is not necessarily the case. The author fails to take into consideration and rule out other factors that might have accounted for the good health of people under research. Perhaps those who exercise regularly were already more healthy than those who don't exercise at the start of the research. It could be that those who don't exercise had chronical diseases such as asthma that prevent them from engaging in regular exercise. In that case, the research result on which the argument relies is of dubious validity and hardly suffices to substantiate the suggestion.

Another questionable assumption the author makes in support of his suggestion is that municipal employees will exercise more frequently once the town provides them with a well-equipped gym. However, the credibility of this assertion is yet to be established, especially since the author fails to explore the true motivation for people to exercise. One obvious rebuttal to the author's reasoning is that the desire to exercise is closely related to personal habits and preferences. If those who exercise less often actually dislike sporting no matter what facilities are offered, they will not actively make use of the gym. Consequently, the cost of insurance coverage will not be reduced at all.

Finally, the author fails to demonstrate that the cost of health insurance coverage will go down by half when employees are hospitalized less often. It is entirely possible that employees who do not exercise regularly usually go to the doctor for insignificant illnesses that cost little insurance money, while employees who exercise a lot go to hospital for treatment that costs a big sum. Perhaps the former groups of people happen to rely on frequent medical checks rather than exercise to keep in good health. Therefore, they get early treatment before the disease develops into serious ones that cost extravagant sum of insurance coverage.  

To sum up, it is imprudent for the author to suggest building a well-equipped gym solely on the basis of the evidence presented. To better support his argument, the author would have to provide additional evidence concerning the relationship of exercise and health to demonstrate that exercising more often indeed reduces visits to hospitals. In addition, the author would have to show us that employees will be motivated to do more exercise by a well-equipped gym.