F) Perhaps, a future generation will be improved by not smoking and eating healthier. Don't they already pay more due the fact that they need more health care than a healthy person and therefore accumulate more medical bills than a healthy person? Image via iStock, long list of serious and often life-threatening health impacts. Then He Blurted out without being called upon. They should foot the bill for the fat and un-healthy. Also, smokers miss 6.16 days of work per year compared to non-smokers' 3.86 days, and four ten-minute smoke breaks equate to . Voluntary choices are made around individual smoking and eating habits and companies may likewise choose to acknowledge these habits as liabilities. The explanation for this is simply that smokers are more likely to develop health concerns in the future, and therefore represent a greater risk for insurance companies. However, this smoking surcharge makes the crucial assumption that continuing to smoke is a choice. No. So its only fair that people who live unhealthy lifestyles, which increase the costs to those of us who are more responsible, pay more for their choices too. The most obviou and clearest cases of physical abuse by a person on themselves should cost the perpetrator. As far as access to healthy food, even Walmart has an organic section now and if you really take the time and put in the effort, healthy eating can be just an inexpensive as unhealthy eating. If you have thyroid problemyou won't lose weight. I think our government should ban smoking. Information found on the CompareClub website is for general purposes only. 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. So if you can get people to quit these expensive habits how in the hell are you hurting them? I don't like the idea of making anyone pay more (people pay enough as it is), I think discounts for good behavior would be appropriate. There are two main ethical arguments for charging smokers higher insurance rates. I find it amusing that Walmart is going to raise health care costs for its smoking employees. Shouldn't my health insurance give me discounts for going to the gym and not smoking? There, I saw firsthand the incredibly high rate of smoking in a population that was mostly hidden from me in my everyday life. I don't think so. 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. Read Pediatric Gender Care: Absence of Evidence Is Not Absence of Efficacy, Read The Cure for Politicized Pediatric Gender Care, Read Moving On from Covid? Employers have to clearly disclose the program and all its components. What famous person essentially cancelled themselves Press J to jump to the feed. the reward is no more than 20 percent of the total premium; the program is reasonably designed to promote health and prevent disease; eligible employees must be given an opportunity to qualify for the reward at least once per year; and. Why would us healthier employees have to foot their hiking rate of insurance for them? It needs to be a flat rate for everyone. No. Taking up smoking cessation programs by insurers lowers health insurance premiums for smokers. Sign up to Stock Advisor for $79 for 1 year, All Jeans + Pants 25% off! In the case of smoking yes if they refuse to quit. Healthy Reader tired of making excuses for my fellow Lazy Americans. Why should I continue to support bad behavior by paying for it. Though I still occasionally meet someone who smokes, the behavior has mostly retreated from populations of higher socioeconomic status and has burrowed itself and its destruction in low income families. Not to mention I don't get sick nearly as often. Therefore, any reliance placed on the information provided on the CompareClub website is at the user's own risk. Smokers can abstain from smoking if they wish to. D) Is there any way to motivate self-control? 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. Arkansas set the tobacco surcharge cap at 20 percent, Colorado at 15 percent and Kentucky at 40 percent. cy from arlington, va. With intense politicization of pediatric gender medicine, the U.S. needs a systematic review of the evidence for different care options. People who use more healthcare resources because of a poor lifestyle choice such as smoking or poor diet should pay more. By charging smokers higher health insurance rates, insurance companies can make people pay a price for the risks they take. They do not live as long and even getting treatment for those conditions is no fun. And harmful behaviors and habits that contribute directly to increased medical bills are a natural, and tempting, target. But in that set of a high premium group lets include heavy drinkers, druggies, risky life style adrenaline junkies and anyone who even has a habit of driving fast on public streets. I actually fit into both of these catagories and I do agree that the charge should be more. If you include those who consume alcohol in there i will say yes. Become part of a like-minded community. If they choose to continue these very destructive practices they have no one to blame but them selves! They will save a fortune if they quit buying cigarettes. Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps. We all souldn't have to pay for their addictions. By some sort of body mass formula? I'm glad that's being done, personally. Or somewhat young in age and more prone to colds than older folks? 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. If you don't like it, do something about it. If smokers opt out of health insurance this could have a detrimental impact on their access to health care and negatively impact their health and well-being. 88% of smokers began smoking before age 18. Immunocompromised People Cant, Read Popular Culture and Bioethics: Severance. For overweight people, it depends on case by case! Jack, let's do the math, if you smoke a pack a day that adds up to $2,190 (@$6.00/pack) and you are telling me they can't afford insurance premiums thru their company? Should smokers and fat people pay more for health care? Poor people can afford this expensive health hazard luxury? Check with a financial professional before making any decisions. As word spreads what the changes. Smokers should be allowed to make lifestyle choices free from coercion from employers, insurers, or the government. Image via iStock, Improved life expectancy. Anyone that does any dangerous activities, also. There are some topics of conversation that never fail to divide a crowd. SMoking, excessive drinking, over eating should be the responsiblity of the person who practices these activiites. The services have been available but no one took advantage. Jack, when we start down this road of charging people higher premiums based on the choices they make where does it end. It is the leading risk factor for death and disease in Australia. Ever since Alabama started taxing fat people and smokers, obesity and smoking rates have gone down in the state. The debate continues, because ultimately smoking is a voluntary act that undoubtedly affects individual health and, in turn, the public and private healthcare system. over- worriers, those who don't worry enough. Personally, I have abandoned the US Insurance system and contracted with a private German carrier for international coverage. If you don't follow their instructions, then your premiums should go way up. is this what we want to teach our kids? Use more, pay more. Though its name has origins on the playground, bullying is a very real (and risky) concern in the workplace. Tune in to "The Situation Room" at 4 p.m. I dont buy the poor people cant afford to get healthy line because we are the only country in the world where the impoverished are obese. 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. Wal-Mart, which insures more than 1 million people, is one such company. Sin taxes have never worked, and hurt those in the lower economic brackets much more. None of us should have to pay anything for health care. Smokers should pay for their own health costs. People are already having to pay to much, and if you already have something such as diabetes you pay more.All I see is greed and another way to make people pay. In this guide, we'll explain how smoking affects your health cover, and what you can do to lower your costs. How many of those who are smokers or overweight would have become sick regardless. If you have a thyroid problem, you'd better have a doctor's note. There's more complex social issues at play for these health issues. It says smokers consume about 25% more health care services than nonsmokers. When you quit smoking, you can effectively reverse some of its effects on your health. Good Question! 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. Hey Jack- These people should probably pay more but YOU should pay more attention to the words you use. Directionally people need to be responsible for their choices. Just as long as they don't come after sorry saps who sit on their butts all day electronically answering TV questions on the chance of seeing their names and words on the screen, I've got no complaints. Luis Rosales. The health insurance surcharge applies to users of all types of tobacco, including pipes, cigars, cigarettes and chewing tobacco. After all, like the commercial states, who doesn't want 50% more cash! Should hurricane insurance be the same price for someone on the Florida coast as for someone in Maine? Will the family get refunded if their fat smoking father drops dead without lingering for a decade or so with non-smoking low fat diseases like arthritis or dementia? Really do you really think the insurance companies will stop charging more and chose one of us over the other? As for a flat tax, I mean fat tax, ask New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Heres how to protect yourself from its side-effects. Fat, smokers, too skinny, birth defects, pimples. everyone should pay more, right? This is self-inflicted risk that clearly results in higher medical costs. Some view them as equivalents of nicotine chewing gum or nicotine skin patches, and others see the product as another form of tobacco use, as life insurers do. It is all propaganda, Jack. Yes. Probably, as long as it does not lead to a denial of care or rates so high that they go uninsured. (post continues after gallery.). Insurance companies ask if you have any dangerous "hobbies" why not dangerous life styles. instead of providing serious programs to educate, Every day, I wish more and more that Canada wasn't so damn cold. Drone Boats: Inside the U.S. Navys Latest Unmanned AI Tech, Watch: California Floods Leave Behind Washed Away Houses, Submerged Cars, Why the FTC Says Noncompete Clauses Are Hurting the Economy, Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Detained in Germany During Coal Mine Protest. But that is private health-care, and we're talking about government health care(which I am not sure if I support or not). Open a newChase Private ClientChecking account and get a $2000 bonus! Health care costs of smoking are expensive and smoking is reduced more to motivational determinants than to biological factors; the essay, therefore, recommends that smokers pay for their own health costs. Reuters reports a growing number of companies are raising health care costs for so-called unhealthy employees. 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. As we will see, too, the harmful effect of these behaviors are not just medically related. Unionized employers must take into account their bargaining obligations. For those of us who must struggle in our writing to convey with clarity the complicated ideas we are driven to share, Wills gift for off-the-cuff eloquence was awe-inspiring. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and I could stand to lose a few pounds. Our patient, weighing over 600 lbs., was above the weight limit of our hospital systems scanner tables and those of all the other major medical centers that we called in our large city. It is certainly stated to only increase costs and get more money to the insurance companies instead of trying to influence healthier behavior. Some employers are hesitant to impose a tobacco users surcharge for fear they could be sued, Weston says. Around 70% of people who have a college degree (or a higher degree), also said they were in support of charging smokers more for health insurance. My ex-doctor had 9 signs on the wall of his waiting room stating cash for service rendered and no Medicare accepted. California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont prohibit tobacco rating for policies purchased throughout the individual market. The stubborn presence of tobacco use is frustrating considering the plethora of studies that link it to so many debilitating diseases. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call What's next then? Insurance comp. I guess I am just thinking of people who are certainly hurting themselves and will one day end up needing care for their risky behavior if they don't die from something else first. Healthy foods cost two to three times as much. Unsurprisingly, the majority of them are not in favor of having to pay more for their health insurance premiums. Smoking is the No. This means you're less likely to wind up in hospital with a serious disease caused by smoking; in turn, this puts a reduced burden on your wallet. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Loss prevention, however, reserves care for those who need it. a reasonable alternative such as attending educational classes must be given to employees for whom it is unreasonably difficult to stop smoking. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get going. We do the same for car insurance and why not for health insurance. Most insurance plans cover smoking-cessation programs. Many studies have shown that smokers cost the health care system more and that they cost health insurers more. We should tax people for smoking, not for receiving health insurance. Of course, this is America, corporations are free to do anything they want and individuals pay all the freight. Absolutely! Customer Service. While your question is to broad, my general response is yes; as do certain persons pay more for life, car, homeowners etc insurance. We are all dollar signs to them without faces or names just like they begin charging for baggage with the airlines they will never stop charging us as long as people need anything. Most and least expensive trucks to insure, How to find out if someone has life insurance, Best health insurance for college students. Hopefully these penalties will get these overindulgent people to quit their bad habits and lead healthier lives thus live longer. Add to prior comment: Employers, however, have no business even asking these questions and companies should be banned from forcing them to. Is for general purposes only is this what we want to teach our kids me in should smokers pay more for health insurance debate everyday life rate! About 25 % more health care costs for its smoking employees rates, insurance companies make. 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