Private health insurance for smokers - Do they pay more? Smokers should pay for their own health costs. Australia: We saved our average customer $320* on their average annual premium! Absolutely! Life insurance rates for smokers versus non-smokers. Edit: Striking out last sentence because I'm an idiot. What to do next? Penalties include higher insurance premiums and deductibles for those who aren't participating in the company's health programs and those engaged in risky health behavior, like smoking. Certainly not directly. Should fertile women have to pay more for health insurance than women who can't reproduce? The cost of health cover has been steadily rising over the last several years, and Australians are getting frustrated. Wal-Mart, which insures more than 1 million people, is one such company. Last month, I rotated in the Bronx at a federally qualified health center. Sooner or later they won't have the money for tobacco or much for food if they are still paying premiums. But I am willing to compromise. It's a slippery slope. No forward thinking piece of legislation intending to improve the health of this country could ignore tobacco use. It's only logical, but in liberal politics logic doesn't prevail. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. B) Will increased premiums be motivation enough for smokers to quit and fat people to reduce and eat healthily? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". In fact, smokers hurt non-smokers by racking up healthcare expenses brought on by the hazards of their habit. Most Americans believe smokers and obese people should pay more for health insurance, but they have mixed views on how to help the millions without any health insurance, according. It does not store any personal data. Taxes do not prohibit people from engaging in behavior, but they can help to ensure that individuals bear the costs of their behavior. The company dropped it due to lack of interest. Self-efficacy is essential "Analysis shows . Add to prior comment: Employers, however, have no business even asking these questions and companies should be banned from forcing them to. What about those who use to be silm and later became FAT? Hell, those poor little insurance companies shouldn't have to pay for anything. In most cases, obesity is a self-inflicting decease. Just because someone is living large doesn't mean that it is by choice nor unhealthy. Smokers elect to smoke and know that they are harming themselves. Become part of a like-minded community. Ever since Alabama started taxing fat people and smokers, obesity and smoking rates have gone down in the state. I recently watched obese administrative people at a healthcare facility in Massachusetts shovel potato chips and donuts into their fat faces, and I couldn't help but wonder how someone who works in healthcare could be so oblivious to be so self-destructive. If you include those who consume alcohol in there i will say yes. C) Is a longer and improved life not a good motivation? The risk is based on numerous factors such as, lifestyle and genetics. With the rising cost of health insurance putting a financial squeeze on companies and their employees, some companies now charge smokers more for their health insurance than for non-smokers (assuming, of course, that the company even offers health insurance as a benefit). So lets use the corporations who stretch across the states to implement this and maybe we can finally get our overweight problem under control. Sounds like the Republican/Tea Party Health Care Reform Plan to mer. Figure out your major motivation and use it to help you through your journey. But this is not true. The same with booze, and other things that costs the country money to fix. Fat people and smokers should pay more absolutly. The penalty for smoking will depend on where you live or work. Protecting reproductive rights: the importance of abortion training for medical trainees, Physician speaks out about being threatened by a patient and betrayed by an organization. Tobacco use for this purpose is defined as any self-reported tobacco use four or more times a week within the past six months. Instead of penalizing smokers and obese individuals, reward the the healthy with cash. Yes Yes yes and More more more! Or somewhat young in age and more prone to colds than older folks? Calling people Fat is akin to bullying which your network so fond of covering. IF you were an employer, and you've got applications from people who has the same Job qualifications, but some applicants are obese, and / or a smoker . Offering health insurance is a choice employeers can make, so why should employeers have to to pay more for an employee who knowingly chose to live a unhealthy lifestyle? Should fat people and smokers pay more for healthcare insurance? They do not live as long and even getting treatment for those conditions is no fun. I need sick insurance regardless if I deserved it or was born with a genetic flaw. is this what we want to teach our kids? This is why you have some health insurance companies charging different premiums for smokers and non-smokers. After all they are more likely to have higher health care costs! But not enough employees have signed up or improved their health. On every pack of cigarettes there are warning that indicate they are hazardous to your health. It only takes a bicycle to drop as much weight as you want while spending less on supermarket junk food. The more people need it, the more it goes up. ABSOLUTELY! Forget about being able to afford to go to a gym. It doesn't matter how long or short they live. While your question is to broad, my general response is yes; as do certain persons pay more for life, car, homeowners etc insurance. Do you honestly think that the tax money that government recieves from cigarette sales is somehow going back to the lobbyists who were probably arguing and lobbying against taxes? But is this plan moral? Should Texas be allowed to secede from the union? But I don't think that's where the tax is going. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Will they ask those with heart attacks, strokes, cancer, in the family history to pay more also, maybe they should ask those who come up with these senseless ideas to pay more just for being stupid. Take this case before a jury of my peers, and the business or health insurance company that charges more for overweight people will lose the case. In sane countries with universal healthcare, they already do - the cigarettes are taxed, and a good deal of that tax goes into the national healthcare service to pay for the inevitable. i don't enjoy going to the gym all the time, i don't enjoy skipping dessert for another chicken breast but I choose to be healthy and not be a drain on society and our healthcare system. In a recent issue of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, 12 physicians discuss their experiences with grateful patient fundraising and take up legal and ethical issues. How to find good vaccine information online. came here to say this, and I agree. They absolutely should pay more. How about stupid people, they are always doing dumb things to get themselves hurt. We don't punish drug users or alcoholics by charging them more because of their chemical dependence so I dont see any sense in singling out fat people and Smokers for their bad habits. Good thing it doesn't control health care costs for its customers, or it would lose most of its business. 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. Don't destroy me, it was just an interesting thought I had when thinking about government health care. But do ethicists belong at the table? Early last year, the Federal Governments Commission of Auditproposedthat private health funds should be allowed to charge more to cover people who refused to take action onlifestyle factors or habits that could increase their health risk, including smoking or being overweight. They are using 25% more insurance, they should be paying 25% more! If you drive reckless you have to pay more but if you follow the speed limit and drive responsibly you pay less. Employers are recognizing how detrimental smoking is to the overall health of their organization, she says. So why can't people with bad health habits be considered high risks also. Healthy, beautiful people have all the advantages in life. Its also unclear what happens if you complete a required smoking cessation program at work but do not quit. It was MY CHOICE to go and buy cigarettes as it was my choice to quit. That means they have to go to the local charity hospital for treatment for care. Raising rates to people already purchasing insurance does not solve the problem. I'm glad that's being done, personally. Absolutely! Why would us healthier employees have to foot their hiking rate of insurance for them? 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. Or. Only if drunks & drug addicts will pay more. Cigarettes, co-pays and junk food add up, and all these savings could give them (Smokers and Fat People) "healthier food" or that gym membership they want so bad. So, the people known as "corporations" are free to lie, stretch the truth and spend hundreds of millions of dollars to get people, even children, to want cigarettes, sugar and grease. Think of the savings in paperwork. Or addicted to prescription medication? 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. What about people with children, or families in general? The health insurance surcharge applies to users of all types of tobacco, including pipes, cigars, cigarettes and chewing tobacco. SMoking, excessive drinking, over eating should be the responsiblity of the person who practices these activiites. Abstract. (if applicable) for The Wall Street Journal. Still it is also likely an acceptable wellness program would provide some insulation from such outcomes. This is nothing more than the back door legitimizing of a caste system, when dynamics such as this are put into effect it simply cements classist elements into our society. Though its name has origins on the playground, bullying is a very real (and risky) concern in the workplace. What about motorcyclists or people who jog at night wearing all black like an asshole? If this tax means it will help people stay more healthy, reduce the out of control obesity in America, and lower health care cost..so be it! yu hve people tht are nt big n hve mre medical problems than them.as for smoker yu no they read the warning n America is stubborn abt taken advice. There's more complex social issues at play for these health issues. Compare Club makes health insurance simple - it only takes a minute to get an estimate that fits your needs. Wall-Mart charges smokers more than any other company, requiring them to pay $2,000 extra per year. And critics of higher rates for smokers say the practice can make health insurance unaffordable for many, especially those with lower incomes. There are also companies hoping to save money on health care by incentivizing their employees to quit Employers pay nearly $6,000 more per year in absenteeism, lost productivity, smoke breaks and Fisher & Phillips suggests that employers who charge smokers more for health-insurance premiums do They should also figure out how much authority they have to police their employees. You'll be able to breathe better. Employers should continue assessing the impact of a differential on employee morale, productivity and workplace culture. I don't think so. If there ever was an industry that demanded nationalization it is the health care industry. You start slipping down a slippery slope when you single out select segments of the population. Find out more about life insurance for smokers here. In 2011, two-thirds of companies with 200 or more employees set up cessation programs to help their smoking employees quit. The Commonwealth Fund expects more states will customize their approach to tobacco rating as more evidence about the impact of tobacco surcharges emerges. Some also argue that hiking smokers premiums serves as an incentive for them to kick the habit. Smokers face significantly increased health risks, which can drive up the cost of their overall health care, as well as high prices for cigarettes. Both goals are important and necessary in todays business climate. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. Yes, Jack. And harmful behaviors and habits that contribute directly to increased medical bills are a natural, and tempting, target. Now with that said, if such a system is forced down my throat should Smokers Pay more taxes for healthcare? No because they aren't going to lower the rates for those that aren't overweight and don't smoke..The rates are created for all by taking into consideration the overweight and the smokers..just like they take into consideration the chance of developing cancer.I grew up about the time a cure for polio was discoveredI don't remember the big refund check from the insurance companies when that threat was eliminated.Insurance companies are just looking to take in more bucks but those that aren't a problem will still pay the same high rates. While these kind of arguments have yet to establish much legal traction, they can be expected to be advanced. 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? a reasonable alternative such as attending educational classes must be given to employees for whom it is unreasonably difficult to stop smoking. Smokers pay high prices for their cigarettes, but many Australians believe that they should pay high prices for health insurance premiums too. Use whatever they have on hand as weights. Whether you're a current smoker or in the process of quitting, you can save money on your private health cover by comparing policies. With nearly 16 percent of Americans now uninsured, the rate has been rising for years as prices for prescription drugs and hospital care have escalated. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Where are the numbers to support that lifestyle behaviors are significant costs. Hopefully these penalties will get these overindulgent people to quit their bad habits and lead healthier lives thus live longer. Hospitals charge a kings ransom for a box of Kleenex. It says smokers consume about 25% more health care services than nonsmokers. Health riskers ought to pay Auto and life insurance companies regularly vary premiums with risk. I am 54 but I am as healthy as a 21 year old! I pay for an individual policy for our family, (we do not get health insurance through employment) and what most people don't realize is that insurance companies already practice this discrimination. I Jack gain weight if I try to live on 500, 1000, or even 1500 calories a day. The potential unintended consequences of the Affordable Care Act are unsettling enough, but even without the ACA, employers have been stung by soaring increases in health insurance premiums. Prohibition proved that. 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. The reason for the move has come because companies are saying smokers cost them more money in medical costs and so the extra cost is just being passed down. No. Another thing to keep in mind: although smoking does not affect your health insurance premiums at the moment, it is possible that the rules could change in future. Every month, you calculate what you might have spent on health insurance had the individual been a smoker or obese and give them half. 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. Get fat on steroids from their asthama? States, however, can set their own rules to reduce or eliminate that surcharge, and 10 so far have chosen to do so. *Average savings based off 25,311 customers during 2020, **Average savings based on 111,658 policies sold Jan 2017 - Nov 2021. This is simply the legitimizing, and establishing of a class system here in the U.S. via the Health Care system! Everytime they have to payout for something, we should automatically charge everybody else with a similar condition twice as much. Kytlehas extensive experience in client counseling, including matters involving employment practices, employee discipline, and wage and hour matters. In a way Jack they already do. We should tax people for smoking, not for receiving health insurance. Life insurance premiums are based on your health risk for insurance providers. In the case of smoking yes if they refuse to quit. It never ends. Yes, Jack, I think the insurance for smokers should be more expensive. D) Is there any way to motivate self-control? Sign In. Health insurance companies continue to hike premiums and co-pays unfettered. Never mind that the imposition of a lifetime cap is also considered unconscionable in Germany and is thus forbidden. Please read the comment policy. Penalize them for bad choices and their habits will change. Smoking tobacco increases your risk of heart disease, lung disease, and other health problems. Should you die, the insurance company pays the death benefit to your chosen beneficiary. This is called tough love; the firms are offering free services to help them improve their lifestyles. Corporate medical syndrome, anyone? If they reinstated it and jacked the rates for unhealthy people it might do a world of good all around. No. Walk. What if that person has a contagious disease? Overall, smokers pay 14% more for health insurance premiums than non-smokers. Obviously they use more health care resources than a single employee. then we must determine just what obese means, and to whom. I don't think it matters that muchwhether you smoke, eat alot, or attack an ant hill in your back yard with a knife and fork. "If tobacco users are charged more for health insurance, they should be provided with access to resources to quit," said lead author Michael Pesko, a health economist at Georgia State. Here's my question to you: Should smokers and fat people pay more for health care? While smokers pay much higher premiums for life cover, they generally do not pay more for health cover. I actually fit into both of these catagories and I do agree that the charge should be more. This site uses cookies. You may not care about charging the fat guy or the smoker more, but wait until they decide to charge YOU more because you're not a perfectly healthy young employee and so will cost more for health care. and people might get healthier. Good question. Immunocompromised People Cant, Read Popular Culture and Bioethics: Severance. The ideal loan customer at a bank is someone who doesn't actually need the money. 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. No one should be able to tell an adult that she cant spend her hard-earned money on cigarettes. People who've had children out of wedlock, because clearly they didn't use protection, and also put themselves at risk for disease? Lets just stop this nonsense and enact a law that insurers, mortgage companies and oil companies can garnish our wages. Just take it and cut to the chase. Jack, when we start down this road of charging people higher premiums based on the choices they make where does it end. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. This is a stupid idea. 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. What is a qualifying life event for special enrollment? None of us should have to pay anything for health care. P.S:- I am not a somker or fat(atleast for now) so no bias aganist smokers. I am already paying a $25 per week surcharge to my insurance carrier due to smoking.
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