should smokers pay more for health insurance debate

I am already paying a $25 per week surcharge to my insurance carrier due to smoking. Hopefully these penalties will get these overindulgent people to quit their bad habits and lead healthier lives thus live longer. More importantly, for the purposes of this post, when surcharges arose in 2014, there was a pretty steep decline in the percent of smokers who purchased insurance. Why not if your bad habit increases your health care costs. I have no idea how the specifics would play out. We really need a complete national group single payer medical coverage for all. By the 1980s, smokers were already paying more for life insurance than their nonsmoking counterparts. A person who has been smoking two packs a day for 30 years has a significantly greater chance of developing lung cancer than someone who has been smoking only a few cigarettes a week for a few years. If you have a thyroid problem, you'd better have a doctor's note. Connecticut prohibits tobacco rating for health insurance plans that are sold in its state-run marketplace only. That one's a bit harder because while being overweight, such as gross obesity, is a health issue, being overweight is relative and doesn't have as close a correlative relationship to health as smoking does. They've introduced weight loss programs or classes to help people stop smoking. I don't say this to punish smokers, I say it to get tobacco off the market so it will not impact the lives of today's children. We're both fat, and we both smoke. It says smokers consume about 25% more health care services than nonsmokers. The GOP would never accept a such an un-American thing as a tax increase on these people. I've given enough money for their addictively engineered products. Absolutely! Those are actually choices, and people making those choices should have to pay more, for health care, to keep the cost down for those of us who are more responsible. If they reinstated it and jacked the rates for unhealthy people it might do a world of good all around. Why should we pay pay for others' poor choices? Instead, the GOP would send them straight to the great State of Texas and have them serve 30 days in the electric chair (that is, unless you are a millionaire or John Boehner). As word spreads what the changes. For the same reason young boys pay more than girls for car insurance. Kytlehas extensive experience in client counseling, including matters involving employment practices, employee discipline, and wage and hour matters. And, oh well, that's on you for not following the medical instructions.So, I guess yes it should. Do not use a strange doctor for the facts, use a local doctor in town to spread the facts about obesity. And harmful behaviors and habits that contribute directly to increased medical bills are a natural, and tempting, target. Yes. Raise taxes on cigarettes and have that money go towards healthcare. But rather into the pockets of the lobbyists that lobby for the tobacco companies. I am sorry but if you are overweight or a tobacco user you are going to incur a greater risk and have a greater chance of needing insurance to cover costs. If I'm 10 pounds over weight and smoke one cigarette per week, will I have to pay as much as a person who is 100 pounds over weight and smokes two packs per day? we should just make them pay more for their HEALTH care if they end up fat or smoke a pack Fat people and smokers should pay more absolutly. Get free updates delivered free to your inbox. Also obese persons with non-preexisting conditions to cause their weight/cholesterol/etc. ), and that they are concerned with expense. If we start down this road than the next thing it would be, anyone with a history of cancer or any other known health problems in their genetic background, would have their Health Care canceled or would have to pay some ridiculous price. For one its not any healthier for others that do not smoke with others that smoke around them, What good is paying health insurance, If your health is not on the healthy side. They take non-stop breaks throughout the day, contaminate air outside the office (and drag it inside as well), and drive up health care costs for everyone. Founded in 2004 byKevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the webs leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories. Yes they should! Futhermore, how can anyone say this would hurt poor folks when ciggarettes are $6 per pack, just 1 pack a day is $180 a month they could use for better food or a gym membership. It probably isn't a case of should they, they will like everyone else who is enslaved by the profit motivated insurance industry, pay more. When they get their habits under control then their premiums could also be lowered. Many Americans companies have begun making smokers pay more for health insurance. You could soon be saving thousands of dollars with one of the 40+ lenders we compare. Translation: people who don't quit smoking, lose weight or lower their cholesterol. In The Cure for Politicized Pediatric Gender Care, Moti Gorin argues that a U.S.-based systematic review, conducted by a trusted major medical organization such as the National Institutes of Health or the National Academy of Medicine, is needed to develop consistent standards for pediatric gender care. However, there is a potential snowball effect that could wind up with young, healthy people paying peanuts, and elderly people being hit with huge bills for health cover. This echoed the findings of a2012 survey of 1213 Australians,in which 73 per cent of respondents believedin the same principle. Why are we paying more and getting less? Exor Puerto Rico, USA. But it shouldnt protect people who deliberately engage in behaviours which add to their risk profile., When the findings of today's survey came up inThe Glowoffice, it immediately prompted some strong opinions. Why have we let our diseased health care system go untreated? Read A Warning from China: After the Zero Covid Policy. This is nothing but insurance companies ripping off ignorant consumers. These folks made the decision to smoke, so they should pay more. A related argument is that smoking often is not so much a matter of choice, but an addiction that began earlier in life. If they choose to continue these very destructive practices they have no one to blame but them selves! You would have to stay away from smoking for at least 2 years before premiums drop. It only takes a minute to see how much you could save. On July 1, according . The slippery slope of legal assisted suicide and euthanasia. Taxes do not prohibit people from engaging in behavior, but they can help to ensure that individuals bear the costs of their behavior. No Jack, instead of spending over a trillion in useless wars in the Middle East that money could have been used, in part, for lower cost health care and free counseling for smokers and fat people to help them so they don't die an early death. Experts say that smokers disproportionately have lower incomes, so that a premium surcharge will hit them especially hard. Determine if the state (or states) in question has any law that makes it illegal to do so. Should health care be a private enterprise? How does primary and secondary insurance work? Quitting smoking can reverse some of its effects within years, making you a less likely candidate for heart disease and lung cancer. If you include those who consume alcohol in there i will say yes. 'Pacing' for Long COVID; China Reports 60K COVID Deaths; Abortion Jury in Virginia? There is no excuse other than they lack the will to eat less. There should also be discounts for people who live an active life style, and take care of themselves in comparison to their age group! It's only logical, but in liberal politics logic doesn't prevail. Figure out your major motivation and use it to help you through your journey. prehaps they will be more motivated to change their behavior and adopt more healthy habits. Employers have to clearly disclose the program and all its components. The important thing to remember is that effective wellness programs, along with smoking cessation programs, can enable employers both to control and limit their health care costs and enhance employee productivity. (to ideal) all in four months and I quit smoking in a day. It's no secret that quitting cigarettes isn't as easy as not lighting up. What if that person has a contagious disease? Compare Club does not compare all products in the market. Private health insurance wasn't created so everyone could get healthy it is a financial product in the United States. Let's give people who smoke free tobacco-company-paid health insurance. A study of 20,000 employees showed that smokers had more hospital visits per 1,000 (124 versus 76), had a longer average length of stay (6.5 versus 5 days) and made six more visits to health care facilities per year than non-smokers. This is a BETA experience. Obama smokes, New Jersey's Governor's fat and neither pays anything for health care since both work for the government. This objection is not very persuasive, however, because financial penalties do not significantly limit personal freedom. Until age 56, obese people had the highest health care expenditures, but in older age groups smokers had the highest costs. 2023 Compare Club, All Rights Reserved. Around 60,000 Australian households were quizzed about health insuranceby One Big Switch. Wal-Mart, which insures more than 1 million people, is one such company. You just have to give a damn. So eat less, eat better and your premiums will go down. Why don't we just discriminate more, people who drink should pay more.It doesn't matter to the insurance companies as long as they get money. Multiply the number of packs you smoke in a week by the cost of cigarettes to find out how much you can save by not smoking. At some point it would become like auto insurance where your rates go up every time you make a claim. then we must determine just what obese means, and to whom. They USE MORE resources while alive. It is a fact that if you leave an unhealthy lifestyle, your lifespan will be shorten and costlier. smokers and overweight individuals (among many others) require more healthcare services and resources than healthy individuals. Even if such a law exists, all may not be lost, as some state laws may be preempted by federal law. Image via iStock, long list of serious and often life-threatening health impacts. But non-smokers have rights, too. Then we get into a whole debate over which stupid behavior deserves discounted healthcare and which doesn't. Now with that said, if such a system is forced down my throat should Smokers Pay more taxes for healthcare? I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and I could stand to lose a few pounds. Smoking and the lack of eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a choice everyone can make. Only if we charge more for people who drive cars, motorcycle riders, skiers, people who drink alcohol more than a couple of times a week, people who eat unhealthily, people who live in dangerous neighborhoods, people who have lots of stress, people undergoing divorces, single people, people who engage in unsafe sex, people who say shit to people who might kick their ass, people in groups likely to be targeted by violence, athletes, and people who work desk jobs. Why should people who make an effort to stay healthy be penalized when people who are willingly and knowingly partaking in detrimental activities pay the same amount. I Jack gain weight if I try to live on 500, 1000, or even 1500 calories a day. Why should I pay for other peoples bad choices. I also think tobacco should be taxed out of existence. How long has it been since you had your last cigarette? Anyone that drinks excessively. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Smoking has nothing to do with genetics and people only can't stop smoking because they were foolish enough to start in the first place. I should be paying the same rate for health insurance as a 21 year old! How about people with traffic tickets or accidents? Furthermore, since most people who smoke are of lower income, this results in an additional barrier to coverage when they have to pay an extra premium to receive coverage. Survey: Bullying on the Rise; Gen Z Least Likely to Report Misconduct, Study: Majority of Big Canadian Companies Tie Executive Compensation to ESG Metrics, Toxic Environment: When Workplace Behavior Is Problematic But Not Illegal, A Prescriptive Guide to Third-Party Risk Management, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). They're clearly reckless drivers and are more likely to get into injury accidents. I need sick insurance regardless if I deserved it or was born with a genetic flaw. Critics worry these kinds of penalties will hurt poor people the most, since health care costs consume a bigger part of their income and they may not have as much access to gyms or fresh food. I agree with everything except for your last sentence. Fiscal cliff = Thelma & Louise? Lord knows this country needs both. In a society where brand marketing has glorified unhealthy habits including smoking, video games and fast food over the years, it seems as a society we are struggling to correct these mistakes. While legal concerns exist, there are compelling reasons to implement a differential for smokers. That means they have to go to the local charity hospital for treatment for care. Our websites do not, and are not intended to, provide a comprehensive list of all companies that may provide the products and services you are seeking. Though smoking is often seen as an adult issue, we should continue to support the many excellent anti-smoking campaigns and participate in research that helps us understand how to encourage adolescents that have started smoking to kick some butt. A study of 20,000 employees showed smokers had more hospital visits per 1,000 (124 vs. 76), had a longer average length of stay (6.5 vs. 5 days) and made six more visits to medical facilities per year than non-smokers. 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N'T want 50 % should smokers pay more for health insurance debate health care services than nonsmokers habit increases your care... Your premiums will go down begun making smokers pay more for life than... States ) in question has any law that makes it illegal to do so a! Same rate for health care costs it is a choice everyone can make was born with a genetic.! To live on 500, 1000, or even 1500 calories a day United states, making you a likely. 40+ lenders we compare girls for car insurance should pay more than 1 million people, is one such....

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