Severance, a popular Emmy Award-winning show streaming on Apple TV+, is a rich cultural artifact. Jack, that may be the dumbest question I've ever heard. There are some topics of conversation that never fail to divide a crowd. In light of the Petraeus scandal, is anything we do online really private? I need sick insurance regardless if I deserved it or was born with a genetic flaw. Due to the increased risk, those who smoke can pay more for their monthly premium. Links found on the CompareClub website do not necessarily imply an endorsement or recommendation of the information or views that are expressed by the external party. Shame on you! The Commonwealth Fund expects more states will customize their approach to tobacco rating as more evidence about the impact of tobacco surcharges emerges. Sign upfor free. This is not like people with cancer, etc. So we really do see employers going down this road of setting tobacco-users premium differentials.. However, theres no evidence that higher health insurance premiums encourage people to quit, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation aimed at improving the health care system. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Yes, I think that people who smoke and are obese should pay more in health insurance premiums to offset the increasing costs of their eventual care once they become ill as a result of their unhealthy lifestyle. Last month, I rotated in the Bronx at a federally qualified health center. Disclaimer: The advertisers appearing on this website are clients from which QuinStreet receives compensation (Sponsors). Then we get into a whole debate over which stupid behavior deserves discounted healthcare and which doesn't. 2023 Compare Club, All Rights Reserved. Sooner or later they won't have the money for tobacco or much for food if they are still paying premiums. It is a shame what american society has come to with everyone making an excuse for overweight people. If you're quitting smoking, consider annual renewable term life If you smoke tobacco or cannabis, vape, or chew tobacco, you will pay more for life insurance. Around 60,000 Australian households were quizzed about health insuranceby One Big Switch. All this can be prevented, there is no excuse whatsoever for smoking and for remaining overweight and not actively trying to change. Absolutely! Both are just as costly in care as smoking/weight. By the number of cigarettes a person smokes in a day? See where I'm going with this. So why should healthy people pay subsidize healthcare for unhealthy people? It doesn't matter how long or short they live. How many that do smoke get a physical on a yearl basis? And while we're at it let's throw in really tall people because you never see any really old really tall people around; and drivers too, because automobile accidents kill more people than just about anything else, don't they? What about those who use to be silm and later became FAT? 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. Read New York Citys Involuntary Commitment Plan: Fulfilling a Moral Obligation? You will be notified in advance of any changes in rate or terms. If smoking will not be banned, then double its price. Posted by Susan Gilbert at 09/19/2013 02:47:13 PM|. METALWORKER in La Salle, IL. Tax credits to help pay for health insurance are available to. As one who quit smoking 40+ years ago and has struggled throughout my life with my weight, I've been able to control both problems without the aid of health club memberships, weight loss programs etc. They absolutely should pay more. As the figure shows, smokers are less likely to buy insurance under any circumstance, an unwise decision given the likelihood that they will incur higher-than-average healthcare expenses. If more funds need to be collected for certain types of unhealthy behavior why not let the tobacco companies pick up the tab for smokers, fast food restaurants that don't serve healthy food (some do serve healthy food, like Qdoba) for the obese or have type 2 diabetes, if it is certain their condition is caused by unhealthy eating. upheld hand. Should auto insurance favor safe drivers with discounts? No!! Sure why not? Heres where the tobacco surcharge runs into problems. Reuters reports a growing number of companies are raising health care costs for so-called unhealthy employees. STAY CONNECTED WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, Wall-Mart charges smokers more than any other company. If youre in the market for health insurance, Insure.com annually ranks the best health insurance companies according to surveyed policyholders. To be fair, policies adopted by employers or insurers would need to apply different rates to different smokers, depending on their individual risk. Weston gives this example: Say, for instance, your health insurance benefits cost the company $1,000 a month. And, oh well, that's on you for not following the medical instructions.So, I guess yes it should. The same goes for obesity. Health care costs more for them (even though both overeating and tobacco are addictoions when they started they knew the dangers). They do not live as long and even getting treatment for those conditions is no fun. How were we duped and what can we do about the opioid overdose crisis? Prior to joining QuinStreet, she reported and edited articles on technology, lifestyle, education and government for magazines, websites and major newspapers, including the New York Daily News. So lets use the corporations who stretch across the states to implement this and maybe we can finally get our overweight problem under control. It seems unfair to those of us that take care of our health? Obviously, but the mere mention of it in this country means you must be a communist, because you're taking money from one group and giving it to another. Healthy foods cost two to three times as much. Sign up to Stock Advisor for $79 for 1 year, All Jeans + Pants 25% off! Just because someone is living large doesn't mean that it is by choice nor unhealthy. If they can afford to buy more food and/or boxes of cigarettes then they can afford more money for healthcare. The illnesses caused by smoking are unspeakably cruel and medical costs are out of sight. Calories in minus calories burned should equal zero. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and I could stand to lose a few pounds. But unfortunately it is not popular across the country if govt. r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. Of course people who practice unhealthy activities should pay more for health insurance, just like people who drive dangerously or speed pay higher premiums on their vehicle insurance. And people who drive more than others, people who work 3 jobs, people who don't work enough, people who drink too much, those that don't drink enough. Whether you currently use tobacco or have recently quit, healthcare for smokers is paramount. The arguments against charging smokers higher insurance rates appeal to considerations of social justice and fairness. Though its name has origins on the playground, bullying is a very real (and risky) concern in the workplace. And, life insurance, too. The Insurance company shouldn't give you a hard time in achieving that goal either. Fat people and smokers should pay more absolutly. Join 150,000+ subscribers Get KevinMD's most popular stories. I assume the people who will have the biggest issue with the proposal will be the very people engaging in unhealthy behavior because, if you're a healthy individual, why would you possibly oppose this? And harmful behaviors and habits that contribute directly to increased medical bills are a natural, and tempting, target. Second, even if charging smokers higher insurance rates encourages them to stop smoking, reducing smoking may not save society any money. Thanks Bush and Obama, before you two we had a Constitution and Bill of Rights. Smokers are more likely to wind up in hospital as a direct result of their smoking habit; in fact, an estimated 19,000 Australians die each year as a result of smoking. If you get a lot of speeding/reckless driving tickets or accidents you paay more for auto insurrance-same principle. As we will see, too, the harmful effect of these behaviors are not just medically related. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Then He Blurted out without being called upon. Until age 56, obese people had the highest health care expenditures, but in older age groups smokers had the highest costs. C) Is a longer and improved life not a good motivation? Whats a company secret you can share now that you dont What quietly went away without anyone noticing? There should be more places where only smokers can smoke freely. The basic concept of insurance is to spread risk. These folks just wants to get more money from other. Dont blame it on the sunshine, dont blame it on the moonlight, dont blame it on the good times, blame it on the Economy. I think people are stressed out with todays world, They have/show no feelings for themselves. It is a fact that if you leave an unhealthy lifestyle, your lifespan will be shorten and costlier. 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. does this. This is why you have some health insurance companies charging different premiums for smokers and non-smokers. Or enjoy cook outs eating hamburgers and hot dogs? A recent article in Health Affairs estimated its annual cost to be $147 billion and growing. Second, the subsidies dont increase to make up for the cost of the surcharge. Sadly in America we have far more unhealthy people than healthy so this will probably be resisted and some groups will get involved and say it's discrimination. Private health insurance wasn't created so everyone could get healthy it is a financial product in the United States. These people should absolutely pay more for their healthcare. The benchmark for all insurance underwriting is computed by an exposure to risk formula. Most insurance plans cover smoking-cessation programs. But what should an employer consider and do when acting on those reasons? Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. They should only be charged more if 1) their habits actually incur measurably more cost, and 2) those individuals without the same habits get a discount. However, lying is fraud, and you can be denied coverage if you misrepresent yourself. People have known for years that smoking causes a variety of health problems and, especially if these companies are offering programs to assist in quitting, there is no reason nowadays to still be partaking. Non-smokers in particular think that smokers should pay higher health insurance premiums: 65 percent of non-smokers expressed this opinion, compared with 38 percent of people who smoke only occasionally and 18 percent of those who smoke daily. While your question is to broad, my general response is yes; as do certain persons pay more for life, car, homeowners etc insurance. If these groups can't absorb the increased costs, the let the grand champions of individual freedom and responsibility, the Republican and Tea Parties, pay for it since they don't want the government doing it through health care reform, and not being in either group I don't want to pay higher rates to cover those costs. 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