Last week, Dallas County in Texas joined the growing ranks of employers that charge employees who smoke a higher monthly health insurance premium than employees who don't light up. r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. Doug. Second. Is any one of us perfect. You'll be able to breathe better. Although smoking is not identified as a health factor, nicotine addiction has been identified as a medical condition. In a way Jack they already do. Charging people rates based on their personal risks protects insurance companies against moral hazard, people taking risks without bearing the consequences. Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps. So why can't people with bad health habits be considered high risks also. How were we duped and what can we do about the opioid overdose crisis? If I chose to remain fat by following an unhealthy lifestyle then I should pay the cost for the consequences. Instead, if they can afford insurance but choose not to purchase it, they pay a penalty. What about those who use to be silm and later became FAT? Dave from NH. I feel sorry for my fellow citizens who are not able to fight the system or extract themselves from it. No JackThat`s just wrong!!!! How would you feel about riding in a car that drives itself? The CHIPHIT complex and the future of health care: Can we create a low-cost, high-quality system? Compare Club makes finding a home loan simple. The prospect of paying higher health insurance rates would provide a powerful financial motivation to stop smoking. The under-25s are least likely to support the principle of solidarity in healthcare, with almost half saying leading an unhealthy lifestyle is grounds for higher health insurance premiums. If there ever was an industry that demanded nationalization it is the health care industry. 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 a concept. If smoking will not be banned, then double its price. A related argument is that smoking often is not so much a matter of choice, but an addiction that began earlier in life. The four of us were so taken by the show that we wrote these reflections on its important ethical themes. Since it would be impossible, and unfair, to have exepmtions for all the possiblities of lifestyle choice or legitimate medical neccessity, charging more for the obese is a tough call. Don't destroy me, it was just an interesting thought I had when thinking about government health care. Get in touch. Jack: Should fat people and smokers pay more for healthcare insurance? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. All this can be prevented, there is no excuse whatsoever for smoking and for remaining overweight and not actively trying to change. Ive had the privilege of knowing more than a few extraordinarily brilliant people from whose mouths seemed to spill spontaneous gems of polished prose. We should tax people for smoking, not for receiving health insurance. These are things that people can control, and why anyone would choose to smoke in this day in age is beyond me. Keep track of your milestones. People that are overweight also are electing to be overweight. 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). The debate continues, because ultimately smoking is a voluntary act that undoubtedly affects individual health and, in turn, the public and private healthcare system. Fat people and smokers should pay more absolutly. We need a socialized medicine system like the rest of the modern world. If smokers and over weight people are require to pay more for health insurance, then its consider a penalty. Use more, pay more. A disproportionate number of tobacco users, particularly smokers, are racial minorities and come from low-income and less-educated households, according to the American Cancer Society. This is why we need the health care reform good or bad is better than none. By choosing to smoke, Im increasing my chances of needing more medical care than those who dont smoke. Working-age Americans are not legally required to purchase health insurance. Yes, I think they should be part of any risk pool their state has. If you have a poor driving record, drive a sports car, or live in a high-theft area, you're going to pay more for your car insurance than [] You would have to stay away from smoking for at least 2 years before premiums drop. Sounds like the Republican/Tea Party Health Care Reform Plan to mer. Hey don't we export cigarettes and fast food franchises Shhhh! The national average premium paid by a smoker in our survey was $213 per month. Smoking and the lack of eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a choice everyone can make. And, oh well, that's on you for not following the medical instructions.So, I guess yes it should. It never ends. That doesn't make any sense. Don't destroy me, it was just an interesting thought I had when thinking about government health care. Then He Blurted out without being called upon. Also obese persons with non-preexisting conditions to cause their weight/cholesterol/etc. Just because someone is living large doesn't mean that it is by choice nor unhealthy. Obamacare's effect on small business: An unintended consequence? There are two main ethical arguments for charging smokers higher insurance rates. Responsible people who exercise and try to enhance their health should have greatly discounted rates. If a union is in the picture, a differential would probably be a mandatory subject of bargaining. Click Manage settings for more information and to manage your choices. We deserve the same coverage that our hired help takes for granted. 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. Healing hearts: the power of authentic connection in medicine [PODCAST], How to recognize and stop gaslighting in your relationships, Saying goodbye: the tragic impact of COVID-19 on families, A couples journey with a rare neurodegenerative disorder, The importance of a clear contract with your defense counsel in medical malpractice cases, Finding purpose: How physicians can craft meaningful careers in medicine [PODCAST]. Charging smokers higher health insurance premiums is no more objectionable than imposing taxes on tobacco products, alcohol, guns, or gasoline. What Scrub Color Should Surgeons Probably Avoid? Yes, Jack, I think the insurance for smokers should be more expensive. So we really do see employers going down this road of setting tobacco-users premium differentials.. Risk does not mean something will happen but there is a chance something may. 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. Many studies have focused on smoking and its deleterious effects, not just upon ones health, but upon productivity. That means they have to go to the local charity hospital for treatment for care. To appreciate the solution, let me expand on the flaws in health insurance surcharges. Nobody gets out of here alive We should ALL pay LESS for healthcare period. Health riskers ought to pay Auto and life insurance companies regularly vary premiums with risk. Would you ride in a car that drives itself? Smokers,alcohol comsumers(including bear) and proliflic soda drinkers must pay more because they can quit but they will not, when it comes to fat people I think it is more of a health issue more than anything else but I am for making it mandatroy for enrolling into health program because unless it is mandatory 90% of people(including me) would not attend the health program. Use whatever they have on hand as weights. They take non-stop breaks throughout the day, contaminate air outside the office (and drag it inside as well), and drive up health care costs for everyone. There are some topics of conversation that never fail to divide a crowd. However, she says, as long as the program is correctly implemented and complies with federal and state laws, employers should have no concerns. 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. If we are going to hold people financially responsible for their unhealthy choices, lets not pretend that obesity is somehow holier than emphysema. The reason? 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. Due to the increased risk, those who smoke can pay more for their monthly premium. Let's return to the days when we went to the doctor when we could afford it. It is all propaganda, Jack. Walk. While legal concerns exist, there are compelling reasons to implement a differential for smokers. Smokers miss an average of 6.16 days of work per year compared to 3.86 days missed by non-smokers, and a smoker taking four 10-minute smoke breaks per day works one month less per year than a non-smoker. 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. 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. charge higher insurance premiums to employees who smoke, and some companies refuse to hire smokers. The availability of products compared may change from time to time. Or you don't wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle or bicycle? 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. If people can't be motivated to change their bad habits on their own, maybe higher health care costs will make them think twice about their choices. Specifically, they shouldnt have to pay to subsidize the healthcare costs of people who choose to smoke. Here's my question to you: Should smokers and fat people pay more for health care? Radley Balko's alter ego "Randy" argues that they should in an AJC op-ed. About the Author Let's take smokers. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The second ethical argument for charging smokers higher insurance rates is that it is actuarially fair because individual insurance rates should be based on expected payouts. 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. There are health issue associated with those folks as well. B) Will increased premiums be motivation enough for smokers to quit and fat people to reduce and eat healthily? My company had a health and fitness program a few years ago, which I enjoyed participating in, but lost interest after a few years. But not enough employees have signed up or improved their health. Health care? 2 out of 3 Australians thinks so. This is simply the legitimizing, and establishing of a class system here in the U.S. via the Health Care system! No need to play big brother by charging people more for health insurance. Education is a better tactic by health care companies. Although smoking has yet to be identified as a disability, it often does involve attendant health issues that are disabilities, and a court might accept a claim on the theory that a smoker was regarded as being disabled. Absolutely they should. simply put, yes. None surpassed Will. Its about personal choices. You may opt-out by. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and I could stand to lose a few pounds. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Got a news tip? 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? Many studies have shown that smokers cost the health care system more and that they cost health insurers more. The fact is we can all blame genetics for one thing or the other. Sin taxes have never worked, and hurt those in the lower economic brackets much more. Anyone can get sick or get cancer, have a horrid wreck and we all should have the same rates. I think our government should ban smoking. I don't think so. It's only logical, but in liberal politics logic doesn't prevail. I am 54 but I am as healthy as a 21 year old! More importantly, for the purposes of this post, when surcharges arose in 2014, there was a pretty steep decline in the percent of smokers who purchased insurance. Jack, when we start down this road of charging people higher premiums based on the choices they make where does it end. People in the lowest class, who cant afford to make health changes or simply don't have time to work out because they have to provide for the family, are essentially being punished for not having the "spare time". Many people do not belong to gyms and still find other ways to exercise. This echoed the findings of a2012 survey of 1213 Australians,in which 73 per cent of respondents believedin the same principle. How long has it been since you had your last cigarette? If you choose to inhale smoke and you choose to eat fast food and unhealthy crap in vast quantities, then you choose to pay more for healthcare. 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. Sure they should, as long as drinkers and potheads follow suit. Whether you currently use tobacco or have recently quit, healthcare for smokers is paramount. then we must determine just what obese means, and to whom. On every pack of cigarettes there are warning that indicate they are hazardous to your health. Yes! 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. The Unvaccinated Should Pay More For Health Insurance. In The Cure for Politicized Pediatric Gender Care, Moti Gorin argues that a U.S.-based systematic review, conducted by a trusted major medical organization such as the National Institutes of Health or the National Academy of Medicine, is needed to develop consistent standards for pediatric gender care. You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. 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. Are hazardous to your health its deleterious effects, not for receiving health insurance rates that. Click Manage settings for more information and to whom people who choose to smoke, Im my! 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