thank Jack. If you include those who consume alcohol in there i will say yes. Posted by Susan Gilbert at 09/19/2013 02:47:13 PM|. Here is a question for you all? To avoid this unfortunate outcome, rate increases should be kept low enough that they do not lead smokers to forego health insurance. Shame on you! Compare Club does not compare all products in the market. Hey don't we export cigarettes and fast food franchises Shhhh! California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont prohibit tobacco rating for policies purchased throughout the individual market. If they reinstated it and jacked the rates for unhealthy people it might do a world of good all around. While the intent behind his call is well-intended, it is based on a flawed premise. So to those healthy ones out there shouting "YES they should charge".. beware, they may be charging you for breathing fresh air one day! Read Should Ethicists Be at the Table in Public Health Policy Deliberations? Ms Ley also dismissed claims obese people and smokers could pay more for their private health insurance, but defended the government's right to ask "tough questions" about it given the private health insurance rebate cost it over $6 billion a year. It is only fair that those who have negative behavior pay more for their health care. Ethics Consult: Potentially Hasten Baby's Death to Ease Suffering? Penalize them for bad choices and their habits will change. Hell no. The federal health law allows states to charge smokers up to 50 percent more for a health plan, but a bill moving forward in the California Legislature would prevent that from happening.. For your bank account? I need sick insurance regardless if I deserved it or was born with a genetic flaw. How long has it been since you had your last cigarette? Seems to make sense. Why should I continue to support bad behavior by paying for it. Well, the creators of the Affordable Care Act (or the ACA, a.k.a. Here's my question to you: Should smokers and fat people pay more for health care? Why not Jack? Health insurance companies are beginning to act more and more like banks. How about women that keep spitting out babies ? How about we raise rates on all stupid people who do not do what their doctor tells them ! How will the fiscal cliff affect the way you handle your money. Prohibition proved that. Three steps ought to be taken. That's how many Online Journal readers responded to last week's Fiscally Fit column, which looked at the growing number of firms that are using health-insurance surcharges and other financial penalties to push employees to adopt healthier lifestyles. Yes! Customer Service. What about people with children, or families in general? 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. Yes. Iam a fat smoker and I say no. I think educating them is. Wal-Mart, which insures more than 1 million people, is one such company. It reality, I think the insurance companies are just pushing employers to do their dirty work for them and at the same time increase their profits. Unlike smokers, I don't have a problem with overweight people but they are at greater risk for certain disorders and diseases. Will those that enjoy dangerous sports have to pay more. Let me get this straight, "the not poor" buy "the poor" food, while "the poor" buy cigarettes. Smoking yes, weight no. The Netherlands still has 3.1 million smokers, of whom 465,000 smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day. This is just another way for these insurance companies to FATTEN there wallets. came here to say this, and I agree. METALWORKER in La Salle, IL. Of course anyone that eats fast food, or any fried or unhealthy food would need to pay more. An alternative might be to give those of us non-smokers and who are not obese a discount. Yes they should! This is provocatively simplistic, betrays the lack of decency befouling this country, and represents why government can't leave corporations to run health care. Tune in to "The Situation Room" at 4 p.m. When reviewing offers from external websites or companies, please review their terms and conditions. If they quit smoking they save at least the $2190 and their rates will go down, so explain to me why this is bad. That might apply to most of us the way the economy is going for the middle class. Sadly, yes ! The Affordable Care Act allows insurance companies to charge smokers up to 50% more for premiums. There are excellent intentions behind this policy smoking is the number one preventable cause of death and smokers disproportionately incur health care costs due to the debilitating diseases that result from the habit. A natural response . CCA is a credit rep (Credit Representative Number 519886) of Alternative Media Pty Ltd (ACL Number 486326), please see our Credit Guide. Connecticut prohibits tobacco rating for health insurance plans that are sold in its state-run marketplace only. Maybe we can answer this by expanding your question: what if a person is an alcoholic? The benchmark for all insurance underwriting is computed by an exposure to risk formula. For your family? Jack, I understand your question but how can anyone afford to pay more for Health Care? I am a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University. Note they wouldn't pay more for health care but health care insurance. Should Texas be allowed to secede from the union? Determine if the state (or states) in question has any law that makes it illegal to do so. Primary Care, LOL America. If they are lazy and indulge themselves with bad food and refuse to change that! That's up from 19% this year and only 8% in 2009. The wellness program must satisfy the following four requirements: Another potential legal problem arises from the Americans with Disabilities Acts prohibition against discriminating in benefits with respect to qualified individuals with disabilities. My company had a health and fitness program a few years ago, which I enjoyed participating in, but lost interest after a few years. There's more complex social issues at play for these health issues. Anyone that does any dangerous activities, also. ), and that they are concerned with expense. Sooner or later they won't have the money for tobacco or much for food if they are still paying premiums. We should tax people for smoking, not for receiving health insurance. There are several objections to this argument. Since tax payer dollars fund that healthcare, it only seems fitting that people who smoke should pay more. This stuff is expensive, and I personally don't want to pay for John Doe's chemotherapy when he has smoked for 50 years. Tagged as: There, I saw firsthand the incredibly high rate of smoking in a population that was mostly hidden from me in my everyday life. By some sort of body mass formula? Sign upfor free. Community rating is there to protect people who, through no fault of their own, through things they cant control like their age, that theyre not penalised, NIB Managing Director Mark Fitzgibbonsaid at the time. There is no reason why they can't quit smoking or lose weight. Why should all of us pay for excess by others? Insurance is collective protection against risk. If we are to receive adequate healthcare in this very backward country, we must rein the medical industry in tightly. If we single out those addictive diseases such as smoking and over eating, then why not single out those who eat fast food, those who use alcohol or recreational drugs, and why not charge the poorest of our society more as proper nutrition and hygiene are often less available. Because many companies self-insure - meaning they pay for health care. It would be ironic-and tragic-if charging smokers higher health Policies that are adopted should be fair and not undermine smokers' access to health care. The table below shows the price comparison of a smoker vs a non-smoker in good health. The stubborn presence of tobacco use is frustrating considering the plethora of studies that link it to so many debilitating diseases. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get going. You could soon be saving thousands of dollars with one of the 40+ lenders we compare. Are we going to ask them to shell out for my extra expenses? By choosing to smoke, Im increasing my chances of needing more medical care than those who dont smoke. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Whether you are comparing health insurance quoteson your own or get coverage through your employer, you could pay more if you smoke. Jack, when we start down this road of charging people higher premiums based on the choices they make where does it end. Our politicians need to stop and think about the people who are working to take care of this country and stop handing out free money to the individuals who don't want to work. However, this smoking surcharge makes the crucial assumption that continuing to smoke is a choice. The tobacco industry needs 5,000 new smokers every day to stay afloat. Or are light-skinned and prone to sun burns? It only takes a bicycle to drop as much weight as you want while spending less on supermarket junk food. Just look at the people riding the motorized shopping carts. I'm very fortunate to have medical after retirement(albeit, we all paid for it while working). Mayor Adams said we have a moral obligation to help people who are mentally ill. If Australia responded to popular demand and moved towards a risk-based system, smokers could find themselves facing higher premiums. As a reformed Republican, its not fair. I applaud the fantastic efforts of Michelle Obama in this regard as we strive to make healthier foods and exercise a part of our daily routine for children. In addition, some states have laws protecting employees who engage in legal off-duty conduct such as smoking. "My answer is no they should not pay more, they already pay far more than there share of the tax if they smoke, now if they are overly-fat then it is different as they eat through greed and nothing more. Thus, when smokers are faced with a steep surcharge, some of themespecially younger ones who dont yet suffer from the long-term consequences of smokingsimply decide to forgo insurance. No. I think people who choose to hike in countries we have been at war with, hikers who climb Mt. Sign In. Starting next year, Wal-Mart will charge employees who smoke higher premiums, along with offering a free program to help them quit. Although my company does not provide anything to assist me with these items, there is plenty of free and low cost assistance on both items. 6."Health Insurance Surcharges for Tobacco Users: State and Federal Rules." Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1- 844-704-7357), 24 hours a day/7 days. They absolutely should pay more. That goes against everything the Grand Old Party stands for. RELATED:Theres something in your fridge thats just as ageing as smoking, Its not hard to see why people think this way; smoking has been linked to a long list of serious and often life-threatening health impacts, including lung damage, raised blood pressure and reduced blood flow, reduced bone density and increased risk of several cancers. Starting next year, Wal-Mart will charge employees who smoke higher premiums, along with offering a free program to help them quit. These people should be paying more money for health insurance. When an uninsured smoker gets emergently sick, that means hospitals and clinicians dont get reimbursed, which forces them to pass those costs on to people with insurance. Many can only afford cheap hamburgers, bologna, potatoes, mac and cheese, and cheap frozen pizzas-Especially in the South where wages are generally lower. It's not about health, it's about money. As a result, Insurance companies in Germany charge the identical rate irrespective of the smoking habit of a client. It is the leading risk factor for death and disease in Australia. Even if such a law exists, all may not be lost, as some state laws may be preempted by federal law. Not because I think your wrong, but because it doesn't make sense to me. 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