For overweight people, it depends on case by case! 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. 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. Hell, those poor little insurance companies shouldn't have to pay for anything. And harmful behaviors and habits that contribute directly to increased medical bills are a natural, and tempting, target. 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. 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. This is nothing but insurance companies ripping off ignorant consumers. Or a family history of pancreatic cancer? It's just that simple. 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. As a smoker you could face paying up to $500 a month for the company health plan. How many that do smoke get a physical on a yearl basis? Again explain to me why this is a bad thing. Comparisons are made on the basis of price only and different products may have different features and different levels of coverage. Just look at the people riding the motorized shopping carts. 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. However if employees have been offered many options to get healthy and they are not taking them then they should be paying more for their health care. and people might get healthier. We have no control over these companies, their offers, website content, products/services, or the availability and nature of their products/services. However, if rates are too low they may not provide a sufficient financial incentive to stop smoking. I am 54 but I am as healthy as a 21 year old! Talk to your doctor. 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. Then He Blurted out without being called upon. That's up from 19% this year and only 8% in 2009. Wal-Mart, which insures more than 1 million people, is one such company. 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. The bottom line is when you combine these problems with the fact that we work too much as a society, and leave little time for physical activity and recreation , we have a big problem. First, the surcharge makes insurance more expensive, meaning it is harder for people to afford. If we begin to separate people because of diseases, it might begin to punish people with costly diseases which they could not have prevented like Type one diabetes, Parkinson's, most cancers etc. So it's additional incentive to stop smoking. Thus, in the name of anti-discrimination (tobacco lobby) and ensuring access for the poor (the anti-cancer groups). A person with emphsema is a tremendous cost to the health care system and it is primarily caused by smoking. Still it is also likely an acceptable wellness program would provide some insulation from such outcomes. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. This is self-inflicted risk that clearly results in higher medical costs. If you don't like it, do something about it. Yes Jack, this is what we need. That's their problem! If your home is large, on a beach, in an earthquake or hurricane zone you pay more. If we start down this road than the next thing it would be, anyone with a history of cancer or any other known health problems in their genetic background, would have their Health Care canceled or would have to pay some ridiculous price. In fact, smokers hurt non-smokers by racking up healthcare expenses brought on by the hazards of their habit. 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. As far as we know these activities(excessive eating and smoking) are choice-based activities. These unhealthy choices in life ( yes, being fat is a choicenot a disease) deserve consequences. 88% of smokers began smoking before age 18. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. In a society where brand marketing has glorified unhealthy habits including smoking, video games and fast food over the years, it seems as a society we are struggling to correct these mistakes. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. cy from arlington, va. For what the price of Health Care is today here in America there are many countries in the world that have a healthcare plan for everyone at half the cost. Comments are moderated before they are published. There is no reason why they can't quit smoking or lose weight. So smokers seem to be an excellent target to help employers manage costs. Thoughts? Children and adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria receive radically different treatments depending on where they live. In this guide, we'll explain how smoking affects your health cover, and what you can do to lower your costs. Why should someone who has lived a healthy lifestyle pay for someone who has chosen not to? What famous person essentially cancelled themselves Press J to jump to the feed. I have always thought it odd that smokers are so shunned, at least in part because of the health problems and costs they bring, while the wilfully overweight are victims of the fast food industry. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get going. And while you're at it tax them MORE too..its only fair. A massive wave of Covid infections has begun now that China has ended much of its zero Covid policy. Quit smoking; start working out. Thanks Bush and Obama, before you two we had a Constitution and Bill of Rights. Othersrebutted that suntanning, eating junk food and drinking alcohol also count as voluntary bad habits that can negatively impact on health. 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. Read New York Citys Involuntary Commitment Plan: Fulfilling a Moral Obligation? What a concept. Secondly fat people don't stay fat because they are starving. A close examination of the arguments for and against this policy reveals that it is not. But such surcharges are misguided. When you apply for health insurance, you are required to report whether or not you are a smoker. The slippery slope of legal assisted suicide and euthanasia. 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. I run and workout quite a bit and in physical shape, but according to Body Mass Index, I'm considered obese. then you need to curb the amount being used. As for smokers, that is much more clear-cut and it would make sense to raise rates for those. Get in touch. However, because smokers and obese people die younger than healthy individuals, healthy individuals had the highest lifetime health care expenditures. I don't think so. How would you feel about riding in a car that drives itself? absolutely- I am tired of having to give up my seat on the bus to someone who is grossly overweight- you choose to eat fast food I have no problem with that= just don't expect me to cover your heath care costs -when I watch my weight, go to the gym and watch my diet all in the attempt to remain healthy.-and to keep health care costs under control. Why would the tobacco companies want taxes on their products? I don't smoke and am about 10lbs overweight. Sure, as well as people with over active tyroids, and underactive thyroids, and those with ADHD, and those on high blood pressure medicine, and anyone with a pre-existing condition including acne, as some insurance companies rate it. Really do you really think the insurance companies will stop charging more and chose one of us over the other? What are they planning for the medicaid system, smokers and fat individuals that receive public assistance and free insurance. Cost (the biggest problem with health insurance) might go down (or the insurance companies might just take bigger profits!) Absolutely! Mayor Adams said we have a moral obligation to help people who are mentally ill. What if we asked patients what they want? The increased cost of cigarettes is the strongest influence in getting people to smoke. Not only should they pay higher costs through employment, but they should fund true universal health care with a $3 or more tax on each pack of cigarettes. 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. How about smokers and fat people pay for their own health care? For the same reason young boys pay more than girls for car insurance. Or addicted to prescription medication? Hi Jack. They should foot the bill for the fat and un-healthy. By charging smokers higher health insurance rates, insurance companies can make people pay a price for the risks they take. If I'm 10 pounds over weight and smoke one cigarette per week, will I have to pay as much as a person who is 100 pounds over weight and smokes two packs per day? Its about personal choices. 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. Which Studies Will be Practice Changing in Metastatic Breast Cancer? If smoking will not be banned, then double its price. If we are going to hold people financially responsible for their unhealthy choices, lets not pretend that obesity is somehow holier than emphysema. Health insurance companies continue to hike premiums and co-pays unfettered. then we must determine just what obese means, and to whom. YES and I say that as an addicted smoker. David B. Resnik, JD, Ph.D, is a bioethicist at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. Rich Barlow. Founded in 2010, CCI is the webs premier globalindependentnews source for compliance, ethics, risk and information security. Already a member? You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling How about people paying more if they drink more than one glass of wine a day or have sex more than once a year or drink more than 4 glasses of water a day? The tobacco industry needs 5,000 new smokers every day to stay afloat. Some potential state law concerns also could arise with a differential. Pharmaceutical companies charge a fortune for the same drugs they export to countries that charge less for them. 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). 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. Wal-Mart, which insures more than 1 million people, is one such company. Regeneron CEO & CSO: The Real Healthcare Problem Is Bigger Than You Think, Pfizer CEO: How The Biopharmaceutical Industry Creates Value (And Jobs) For The U.S. Economy, Gradual Progress In Precision Non-Oncology, But Challenges Persist, Amid Executive Shuffle, Anthem Looks To Expand Health Services, 'Forest Bathing' Really May Be Good For Health, Study Finds, Not Fun In The Sun: Summer Infections From Animals, Insurers To Trump: Suspending Payments For 'High-Need Patients' Roils Market, CDC: Over 200 Ill From Parasite Outbreak, Del Monte Recalls Vegetable Trays. As a fat person who hasn't lost a pound since August 5th, there's more to it. How about a history of premature births or child development problems in the family? It never ends. Those that drink alcohol excessively?, those that engage in unprotected sex?, abuse prescricption drugs and painkillers? We do not charge a person more that jay walks and gets hit by a car and we do not charge the Gal that has a child every year more because she gives birth like a rabbit. If they are lazy and indulge themselves with bad food and refuse to change that! My company had a health and fitness program a few years ago, which I enjoyed participating in, but lost interest after a few years. Why should those who have healthy habits subsidise them? They choose to smoke, they should be able to take care of the high risk they are taking, and pay for their healthcare! Edit: Striking out last sentence because I'm an idiot. 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. The benchmark for all insurance underwriting is computed by an exposure to risk formula. Not everyone is meant to be a size two. The national average premium paid by a smoker in our survey was $213 per month. Read Should Ethicists Be at the Table in Public Health Policy Deliberations? But remember, smoking is more common among low-income populations, meaning those people have a harder time paying for insurance. Policies should account for individual variations in health risk and may need to be revised if they produce have unintended negative consequences for smokers access to care and health. So to those healthy ones out there shouting "YES they should charge".. beware, they may be charging you for breathing fresh air one day! Translation: people who don't quit smoking, lose weight or lower their cholesterol. The availability of products compared may change from time to time. If I chose to remain fat by following an unhealthy lifestyle then I should pay the cost for the consequences. 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. 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should smokers pay more for health insurance debate