If there ever was an industry that demanded nationalization it is the health care industry. Kytlehas extensive experience in client counseling, including matters involving employment practices, employee discipline, and wage and hour matters. 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. Overall, smokers pay 14% more for health insurance premiums than non-smokers. Once implemented, the impact of the differential should be monitored to determine if it results in a disparate impact on employees in protected groups such as minorities and specific ethnicities. A recent article in Health Affairs estimated its annual cost to be $147 billion and growing. Raise taxes on cigarettes and have that money go towards healthcare. Good luck in getting that bit of reality dealt with. I'm glad that's being done, personally. Or. Only if drunks & drug addicts will pay more. The idea is simple: smokers have the right to smoke, but not the right to pass on the increased cost of their healthcare to others. What's next then? Mayor Adams said we have a moral obligation to help people who are mentally ill. Who would YOU Hire First ?? Due to the increased risk, those who smoke can pay more for their monthly premium. FTC Plan to Ban Noncompete Clauses Shifts Companies Focus, Greta Thunberg Detained by Police in Germany During Mine Protest, Bonds Over Stocks: The New 60-40 Portfolio, Deal Slump Dents Profits at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Rebellion Against Higher Prices Helps Slow Inflation, Opinion: The Hard Reality of a Debt-Ceiling Showdown, Opinion: Ph.D. Students of the World, Unite, Opinion: Wisconsin Bids for a Flat Income Tax, Opinion: How the Gas Stove in Your Kitchen Became a Symbol of Freedom. In a way Jack they already do. Higher insurance premiums price smokers out of insurance markets. 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. Which company could go out of business tomorrow and it People with a porn addiction, how did you realize you had (Serious) What causes death more than people realize? Read A Warning from China: After the Zero Covid Policy. 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. Now with that said, if such a system is forced down my throat should Smokers Pay more taxes for healthcare? While the Affordable Care Act ends the era of denying people with pre-existing conditions access to health care, it allows insurance companies to charge tobacco users up to 50% more for their monthly premiums. 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. Here are a few tips for quitting smoking: Find your why. It doesn't matter how long or short they live. He has a brain tumor. Another tax on the poor and middle class in terms of a health insurance "surtax" will not fix the problem. We have no control over these companies, their offers, website content, products/services, or the availability and nature of their products/services. When you quit smoking, you can effectively reverse some of its effects on your health. Tagged as: If rates go too high, then a subsidized public option should be available to those who cannot otherwise get insurance at a reasonable price. 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. It does not store any personal data. I excersise every day, eat healthy and take care of myself. Yes, they should. It is an interesting thought about how that would implicate unhealthy people. Sitting behind a desk as an adult, or behind the computer as a child is our biggest problem. HELLO. Yes. It is only fair that those who have negative behavior pay more for their health care. Image via iStock, Improved life expectancy. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Social engineering though tax policies never works. Health care costs more for them (even though both overeating and tobacco are addictoions when they started they knew the dangers). Figure out how much you'll save. Fat people and smokers definetly should pay more for their Health Insurance. Comments are moderated before they are published. If you are knowingly putting your health at risk you should be forced to pay more for your insurance. President Barack Obamas signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), allows employers who provide health insurance and public and private health insurers tocharge smokers up to 50 percent higher rates. 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. How about stupid people, they are always doing dumb things to get themselves hurt. If costs for health care keep on the path they are going, at some point my company is not going to be able to afford to provide us with health care, so if that can help, so be it. However, if rates are too low they may not provide a sufficient financial incentive to stop smoking. The health insurance surcharge applies to users of all types of tobacco, including pipes, cigars, cigarettes and chewing tobacco. One recent survey shows the use of penalties is expected to climb next year to include almost 40% of large and medium-sized companies. Some employers are hesitant to impose a tobacco users surcharge for fear they could be sued, Weston says. However, before employers can levy the surcharge they must give smokers an opportunity to qualify for nonsmoker rates by offering a way for them to quit. But remember, smoking is more common among low-income populations, meaning those people have a harder time paying for insurance. The stubborn presence of tobacco use is frustrating considering the plethora of studies that link it to so many debilitating diseases. yes. The Insurance company shouldn't give you a hard time in achieving that goal either. People who drink too much alcohol? Studies have shown thatmonetary incentivescan significantly increase smoking cessation. Also obese persons with non-preexisting conditions to cause their weight/cholesterol/etc. Many Americans companies have begun making smokers pay more for health insurance. When reviewing offers from external websites or companies, please review their terms and conditions. No Jack .That is not a solution.A better idea might be to stop the FDA from allowing food procesors from pouring high fructose corn syrup into everything we eat.First you fed us poison and then you blame us for being poisoned.You want less smokers ?stop all price supports to tobacco producers and cigarette companies.the price wil be out of reach. Still, HIPAA allows some leeway for a differential if employers establish a non-smoking program as part of a wellness program providing a reward for participation in the form of a reduced premium for not smoking. Obamacare's effect on small business: An unintended consequence? 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. (if applicable) for The Wall Street Journal. There's more complex social issues at play for these health issues. Likewise, the ideal customer for the health insurance companies are those who are perfectly healthy and not in need of insurance. 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. Absolutely they should pay more, but if people dont like that idea because they think that it may discriminate the smokers and fat people then how about us skinny and non smokers get a break on insurance cost for being healthy. But I understand there are higher priorities, like spying on Americans by capturing their phone calls, e-mail, text messages and who knows what else for scrutiny by NSA, and invasive TSA searches and who knows what else? And we'd love to know where you're writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment. Sure, many would prefer to have juice and bottled water insetad of soda, organic fruits & vegetables instead of cookies and chips, and gym memberships instead of sitting behind a TV or video game console but many just cannot afford it. Don't destroy me, it was just an interesting thought I had when thinking about government health care. Those of us who are short people should be ready. Another noteworthy point is that the US does not allow foreign competitors (health insurers) to enter the market, thereby aiding domestic insurers to raise rates at will and exploit the ignorant consumers. Pepperell, MA. YES! Read New York Citys Involuntary Commitment Plan: Fulfilling a Moral Obligation? The health insurance industry unexpectedly began to support a plan for universal health insurance for American citizens. Should fertile women have to pay more for health insurance than women who can't reproduce? The fact of the matter is that these people are just enablers. Second, even if charging smokers higher insurance rates encourages them to stop smoking, reducing smoking may not save society any money. You get what you reward! Grateful patient fundraising programs, as they are known, employ a strategy in which hospitals seek donations from satisfied patients, often using public data to identify those who are wealthy and requiring their physicians to discuss giving opportunities with them. Smoking tobacco increases your risk of heart disease, lung disease, and other health problems. Tune in to "The Situation Room" at 4 p.m. 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. But non-smokers have rights, too. METALWORKER in La Salle, IL. 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. 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. Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. as for smokers , they no wht will happen to them.. an tht question should been broader n liittle mre respected. J is a 21-year-old male with multiple disabilities. So smokers seem to be an excellent target to help employers manage costs. The illnesses caused by smoking are unspeakably cruel and medical costs are out of sight. instead of providing serious programs to educate, You bet, Jack. Corporate medical syndrome, anyone? Yes! 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. Shame on you! Ever since Alabama started taxing fat people and smokers, obesity and smoking rates have gone down in the state. This cost is passed to the people who purchase insurance and pay providers. The company dropped it due to lack of interest. If that translates into higher premiums; so be it. The Netherlands still has 3.1 million smokers, of whom 465,000 smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day. Is that what we want for healthcare? 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? So if you are going to charge more for those that smoke or are living large for insurance, then by all means add in those that partake in drugs and alcohol. Private health insurance wasn't created so everyone could get healthy it is a financial product in the United States. then we must determine just what obese means, and to whom. Or, in this case a kick in the wallet. Yes, so should people who drink, people who are diabetic, people who have heart problems or even people with genetic problems-it will all balance out- we all will pay. Jack as I walk through the mall, all i see are overweight people, when i leave the mall, i see at least a dozen or so people puffing a cigarette in the parking lot. The prospect of paying higher health insurance rates would provide a powerful financial motivation to stop smoking. So why can't people with bad health habits be considered high risks also. If you have thyroid problemyou won't lose weight. 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. RELATED:Sitting is the new smoking. A health insurance policyholder with a BMI in the obese range pays 22% more in health insurance premiums than a person with a BMI in the normal range. Texas has delayed the release of the full report of the most up-to-date data on maternal health, further threatening the health of marginalized women, children, and families. Both are just as costly in care as smoking/weight. In the case of smoking yes if they refuse to quit. These effects arent limited to the person sucking on the cigarette, either exposure to second hand smokeis also problematic. Charging individuals rates based on their risk helps to ensure that money paid out from the pool will not exceed money paid into the pool. What is a creepy fact about the human body? Yes, shame on us for enjoying our lives. It is a fact that if you leave an unhealthy lifestyle, your lifespan will be shorten and costlier. charge higher insurance premiums to employees who smoke, and some companies refuse to hire smokers. 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. The onus falls on the employer to be very clear [about] what theyre doing.. I think popular Cable News Personalities should pay more for Health Care. 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. Employers are recognizing how detrimental smoking is to the overall health of their organization, she says. Matters involving employment practices, employee discipline, and some companies refuse to Hire.! Of providing serious programs to educate, you bet, Jack increase smoking cessation not. Than women who ca n't people with bad health habits be considered high risks also companies those... 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