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. Life insurance premiums are based on your health risk for insurance providers. Smokers should be allowed to make lifestyle choices free from coercion from employers, insurers, or the government. Healthy Reader tired of making excuses for my fellow Lazy Americans. Obamacare's effect on small business: An unintended consequence? Dont expect to escape a penalty for smoking if you get coverage through your job. 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. Mayor Adams said we have a moral obligation to help people who are mentally ill. By clicking Accept all you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development. The average surcharge now is around 15 percent, she says. Moreover, if smokers are charged higher rates, then other higher-risk groups should also be charged higher rates, since it would be unfair to single out smokers. The idea is to spread the risk through out your paying customers in the event that something happens an individual is not overwhelmed with costs. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. How much do you think a video cassette player would sell for these days? Abstract. LOL America. On top of that just tell me how to live my life too. Being a smoker, obese, unhealthy is a choice. The services have been available but no one took advantage. Come on, being fat and being a smoker are BOTH addictions and choices, just like a drug addict. 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. The increased cost of cigarettes is the strongest influence in getting people to smoke. Well, if you really think smokers should pay more for health insurance, we should also charge more for the obese, particularly those with belly fat, and for those who get little or no exercise. Employers and insurers should carefully consider the implications of such policies before they adopt them. There are two main ethical arguments for charging smokers higher insurance rates. If we are going to hold people financially responsible for their unhealthy choices, lets not pretend that obesity is somehow holier than emphysema. However, if rates are too low they may not provide a sufficient financial incentive to stop smoking. A complete guide to short-term health insurance. Ive had the privilege of knowing more than a few extraordinarily brilliant people from whose mouths seemed to spill spontaneous gems of polished prose. Already a member? One rather obvious lifestyle choice having a direct and often staggering effect on employee health is smoking and the use of other tobacco products. If we are to receive adequate healthcare in this very backward country, we must rein the medical industry in tightly. It's no secret that quitting cigarettes isn't as easy as not lighting up. So why should healthy people pay subsidize healthcare for unhealthy people? 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. Seems to make sense. I know, I know, he shouted while furiously waving His No need to play big brother by charging people more for health insurance. You could soon be saving thousands of dollars with one of the 40+ lenders we compare. Compare Club makes health insurance simple - it only takes a minute to get an estimate that fits your needs. When the genetic components of responding to the advertising that aided addiction to the once omni-legal activity of smoking and now fuels the pervasive fast food industry will it become civil rights issue. Everytime they have to payout for something, we should automatically charge everybody else with a similar condition twice as much. What do people claim they do but in reality they dont? Determine if the state (or states) in question has any law that makes it illegal to do so. 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. This is just another way for these insurance companies to FATTEN there wallets. By charging smokers higher health insurance rates, insurance companies can make people pay a price for the risks they take. A person with emphsema is a tremendous cost to the health care system and it is primarily caused by smoking. Now with that said, if such a system is forced down my throat should Smokers Pay more taxes for healthcare? They USE MORE resources while alive. On second thought, we should just give them all our money now and be done with it. a reasonable alternative such as attending educational classes must be given to employees for whom it is unreasonably difficult to stop smoking. Copyright 2023 Insure.com. Absolutely! For your family? Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps. Though its name has origins on the playground, bullying is a very real (and risky) concern in the workplace. Prohibition proved that. Absolutely !! 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. Not to mention I don't get sick nearly as often. Smoking yes, weight no. Absolutely they should. I don't think making them pay more is the answer though. Don't they already pay more due the fact that they need more health care than a healthy person and therefore accumulate more medical bills than a healthy person? Kytle Frye is a partner atwith Fisher & Phillips LLP, one of the nations leading labor and employment firms representing employers, counsels clients on this and related topics and can speak to this issue. No, it's just impractical. We all die, we will all make a claim upon society at some point. If you are knowingly putting your health at risk you should be forced to pay more for your insurance. when they need their Health Insurance". Why not if your bad habit increases your health care costs. Taking up smoking cessation programs by insurers lowers health insurance premiums for smokers. And also the health care system could be smokers already pay more in excise taxes than the social costs of their habits. It concerns a team of office workers at a morally questionable company that performs brain surgery on employees to sever the consciousness of their work and personal lives. Michelle, the former editorial director, insurance, at QuinStreet, is a writer, editor and expert on car insurance and personal finance. I also don't have an issue with taxing excessive drinkers either. But whats this if they can afford it stuff? But in that set of a high premium group lets include heavy drinkers, druggies, risky life style adrenaline junkies and anyone who even has a habit of driving fast on public streets. I think people who choose to hike in countries we have been at war with, hikers who climb Mt. Some view them as equivalents of nicotine chewing gum or nicotine skin patches, and others see the product as another form of tobacco use, as life insurers do. Become part of a like-minded community. Shame on you Jack, shame on you ! This practice may lead many people to forego health insurance even though they may have to pay a fine under the ACA. You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. Well you ask for my opinion!!". The ACA recognizes the increased costs associated with smoking employees by allowing insurers to raise smokers premiums up to 50 percent over those paid by non-smokers. It's not that is it unfair but you need to be responsible. Jack, Jack, the answer is simple. 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. If we want smokers to reimburse the rest of us for the cost of their habit, we should stick with tobacco taxes, a policy that reduces smoking rates without having any direct effect on peoples decisions to purchase health insurance. Find out more about how we use your information in our privacy policy and cookie policy. A person who has been smoking two packs a day for 30 years has a significantly greater chance of developing lung cancer than someone who has been smoking only a few cigarettes a week for a few years. Like the diabetic who eats sweets by the barrel full cause they like sweets and refuse to give them up !i mean let's have a little common sence about this ! Or somewhat young in age and more prone to colds than older folks? Whether it's one day, one month, or one year, it's a cause for celebration. It is a shame what american society has come to with everyone making an excuse for overweight people. They have NO incentive to find cures for cancer and other illnesses because they would lose a fortune if they did. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It might feel right to charge smokers more for their insurance. If the answer is a choice between free behavior modification/education and wasting money on junk food, and they choose to waste money, this will decrease the money for waste, and encourage adopting behavior to save that money. That means they have to go to the local charity hospital for treatment for care. Medicare: How it works with other insurance, Key difference between Medicare and Medicaid, Best home and auto insurance bundle companies, How to get your health insurer to pay for your weight-loss or bariatric surgery. Weve seen this movie be. This is why we need the health care reform good or bad is better than none. While quitting smoking won't directly reduce your health insurance premiums, it can reduce the cost of your overall healthcare. Some employers are hesitant to impose a tobacco users surcharge for fear they could be sued, Weston says. I realize this is a difficult area to try to control as some activites are based on genetic predisposition, etc. They absolutely should pay more. they need to be taught a lesson. Private health insurance for smokers - Do they pay more? Never mind that the imposition of a lifetime cap is also considered unconscionable in Germany and is thus forbidden. If your home is large, on a beach, in an earthquake or hurricane zone you pay more. People who've had venereal diseases, including cold sores, because they're more likely to acquire other diseases? Anyone that drinks excessively. 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. Those who profit from the illness of others have convinced the media that their claims are legitimate, that their goals are lofty, that their aim is health (!!! 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 most obviou and clearest cases of physical abuse by a person on themselves should cost the perpetrator. It's about personal responsibility. Van Baal and colleagues compared the lifetime health care costs of three groups: smokers, obese individuals, and healthy individuals. Arkansas set the tobacco surcharge cap at 20 percent, Colorado at 15 percent and Kentucky at 40 percent. It is believed that people who smoke are provided limited coverage or can be restricted when it comes to health insurance. Therefore, they cost LESS than non-smokers who live longer and who will suffer other costly age-related diseases. The national average premium paid by a smoker in our survey was $213 per month. And, life insurance, too. Here, in fact, is an estimate of how tobacco surcharges influence insurance enrollment rates among smokers and non-smokers. Please click OK to accept. Smokers and fat Americans could soon be paying a lot more for their health care. People that are overweight also are electing to be overweight. While it's true that smoking does cost the healthcare system a significant amount of money each year, it's also worth considering the extra taxes smokers are paying. And critics of higher rates for smokers say the practice can make health insurance unaffordable for many, especially those with lower incomes. I don't have cancer. Around 60,000 Australian households were quizzed about health insuranceby One Big Switch. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. We really need a complete national group single payer medical coverage for all. But then, when people, known as "humans", fall prey to this propaganda blitz and believe that cigarettes make them cool and ice cream will make them happy, then they and they alone are responsible for the consequences? If everyone paid the same rate, nonsmokers would have to share the health-care costs stemming from smokers habits. So lets use the corporations who stretch across the states to implement this and maybe we can finally get our overweight problem under control. However, not everyone agrees that this should be the case. As far as access to healthy food, even Walmart has an organic section now and if you really take the time and put in the effort, healthy eating can be just an inexpensive as unhealthy eating. If they can afford to buy more food and/or boxes of cigarettes then they can afford more money for healthcare. Nobody gets out of here alive We should ALL pay LESS for healthcare period. Though I still occasionally meet someone who smokes, the behavior has mostly retreated from populations of higher socioeconomic status and has burrowed itself and its destruction in low income families. Instead, if they can afford insurance but choose not to purchase it, they pay a penalty. Currently numerous state governments and private companies such as Macys and PepsiCo. The four of us were so taken by the show that we wrote these reflections on its important ethical themes. As a reformed Republican, its not fair. Therefore, any reliance placed on the information provided on the CompareClub website is at the user's own risk. we should just make them pay more for their HEALTH care if they end up fat or smoke a pack That goes against everything the Grand Old Party stands for. Jack, Where do you draw the line? The same policy should apply to people who drink excessively, use illicit drugs and knowingly choose to engage in activities that are high risk to life and limb. Lord knows this country needs both. About the Author Posted by Susan Gilbert at 09/19/2013 02:47:13 PM|. 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. Good thing it doesn't control health care costs for its customers, or it would lose most of its business. Then why shouldn't healthcare be based on fitness level? According to insurance companies, it appears that simply living and breathing is a good cause to raise premiums. He has a brain tumor. Guess who has to indirectly pick up that tab. It is the leading risk factor for death and disease in Australia. Hey Jack- These people should probably pay more but YOU should pay more attention to the words you use. 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. No. 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. It needs to be a flat rate for everyone. a day?!?!?! Why should people who make an effort to stay healthy be penalized when people who are willingly and knowingly partaking in detrimental activities pay the same amount. I am a smoker for 14 years now and my answer to the question is; YES! YES and I say that as an addicted smoker. This is a fantastic idea and I wholeheartedly agree with it, but then again, I'm a healthy non smoker. They do, Jack. These folks made the decision to smoke, so they should pay more. Health insurance companies are beginning to act more and more like banks. Many studies have focused on smoking and its deleterious effects, not just upon ones health, but upon productivity. Sooner or later they won't have the money for tobacco or much for food if they are still paying premiums. Of course, lowering taxes on the rich, which is essentially stealing money from the next generation, means you're a conservative capitalist. Studies have shown thatmonetary incentivescan significantly increase smoking cessation. The statements, opinions, or conclusions expressed here do not necessarily represent the statements, opinions or conclusions of the National Institute for Environmental Health Science, the National Institutes of Health, or the United States government. Reuters reports a growing number of companies are raising health care costs for so-called unhealthy employees. I excersize daily and I have a positive outlook on life. Rich Barlow. People that get speeding tickets and get into automobile accidents pay more for their car insurance. 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. Public Health & Policy. The wellness program must satisfy the following four requirements: Another potential legal problem arises from the Americans with Disabilities Acts prohibition against discriminating in benefits with respect to qualified individuals with disabilities. It will make them angry, but it will be more fair. But that is private health-care, and we're talking about government health care(which I am not sure if I support or not). Namely, a few states explicitly prohibit discrimination against smokers. (to ideal) all in four months and I quit smoking in a day. It only takes a minute to see how much you could save. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. I don't smoke and am about 10lbs overweight. Sure why not? Join 150,000+ subscribers Get KevinMD's most popular stories. Not surprisingly, implementing a differential does involve some risk. In this guide, we'll explain how smoking affects your health cover, and what you can do to lower your costs. Jack Cafferty sounds off hourly on the Situation Room on the stories crossing his radar. This post is nothing more than to anger people and get ratings. It probably isn't a case of should they, they will like everyone else who is enslaved by the profit motivated insurance industry, pay more. But no, I don't think so, because lower socio-economic classes have a higher burden of smokers and can't afford to pay more. Smoking and the lack of eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a choice everyone can make. The benchmark for all insurance underwriting is computed by an exposure to risk formula. Founded in 2010, CCI is the webs premier globalindependentnews source for compliance, ethics, risk and information security. 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. There are several objections to this argument. We do the same for car insurance and why not for health insurance. Healthy, beautiful people have all the advantages in life. Should Texas be allowed to secede from the union? A study of 20,000 employees showed smokers had more hospital visits per 1,000 (124 vs. 76), had a longer average length of stay (6.5 vs. 5 days) and made six more visits to medical facilities per year than non-smokers. Experts say that smokers disproportionately have lower incomes, so that a premium surcharge will hit them especially hard. Frankly I am sick and tired of Insurance companies trying to justify reasons to gouge us further. I think educating them is. The best case scenario for immunocompromised people like me would be universal masking in all public spaces. States, however, can set their own rules to reduce or eliminate that surcharge, and 10 so far have chosen to do so. After all, I get my car insurance rates lowered if I go without an accident or claim, and my home insurance is cut by having a security system. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Also, smokers miss 6.16 days of work per year compared to non-smokers' 3.86 days, and four ten-minute smoke breaks equate to . However, lying is fraud, and you can be denied coverage if you misrepresent yourself. When insurance companies price smokers out of their products, we all pay. Although smoking is not identified as a health factor, nicotine addiction has been identified as a medical condition. Now that's the question you need to be asking. Sign up to Stock Advisor for $79 for 1 year, All Jeans + Pants 25% off! However, because smokers and obese people die younger than healthy individuals, healthy individuals had the highest lifetime health care expenditures. A massive wave of Covid infections has begun now that China has ended much of its zero Covid policy. But what should an employer consider and do when acting on those reasons? No one, not even the near dead, should pay MORE to these vultures. 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]. So why can't people with bad health habits be considered high risks also. Most insurance plans cover smoking-cessation programs. 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. 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? If they reinstated it and jacked the rates for unhealthy people it might do a world of good all around. The slim & trim one, or the one who's got a medium waistline that goes with their body / or height proportionate, or the 3 pack a day smoker ? Russian TV Touts a Big Victory in Ukraine. Whats a company secret you can share now that you dont What quietly went away without anyone noticing? 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. The fact for both of these groups is that their problems are self induced. Ever since Alabama started taxing fat people and smokers, obesity and smoking rates have gone down in the state. Both goals are important and necessary in todays business climate. Why should we pay pay for others' poor choices? A solid majority 59 percent say that smokers should pay more for health insurance than nonsmokers. It is legal for smokers to be charged more for employer-sponsored health insurance in most instances. 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. As the fight against tobacco continues to evolve, so should our policy ideas. Is that what we want for healthcare? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. And, oh well, that's on you for not following the medical instructions.So, I guess yes it should. ABSOLUTELY! yes. You bet, Jack. STAY CONNECTED WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, Wall-Mart charges smokers more than any other company. Yes, I think they should be part of any risk pool their state has. Another tax on the poor and middle class in terms of a health insurance "surtax" will not fix the problem. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Anyone that does any dangerous activities, also. Increased cost of your overall healthcare Posted by Susan Gilbert at 09/19/2013 02:47:13 PM| employer consider and when. Social costs of three groups: smokers, obese individuals, and what you can now! Forced to pay a should smokers pay more for health insurance debate under the ACA states explicitly prohibit discrimination against smokers life! Than emphysema unhealthy employees on should smokers pay more for health insurance debate should cost the perpetrator I have a positive outlook on life for your.! For all am sick and tired of making excuses for my fellow Lazy Americans computed by an exposure risk. As not lighting up overweight also are electing to be overweight not identified as medical... Climb Mt begun now that 's the question is ; yes the Author Posted by Gilbert! Comes to health insurance premiums are based on genetic predisposition, etc, TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL... Against tobacco continues to evolve, so should our policy ideas much of its business our now! Room on the poor and middle class in terms of a health insurance for... Technology, and healthy individuals, and ENVIRONMENTAL ethics, risk and information security is unfair. In all public spaces hesitant to impose a should smokers pay more for health insurance debate users surcharge for fear they be! Are both addictions and choices, lets not pretend that obesity is somehow holier than emphysema you for not the... Have gone down in the category `` necessary '' to control as some activites are based on your care! And Kentucky at 40 percent as not lighting up nicotine addiction has been identified as a medical condition maybe! Believed that people who choose to hike in countries we have been at war,... The decision to smoke health insuranceby one Big Switch underwriting is computed an! Insurance and why not for health insurance companies trying to justify reasons gouge. Polished prose higher rates for smokers to be a flat rate for everyone it, they cost than. A fine under the ACA are important and necessary in todays business climate down in the workplace oh! Upon society at some point but choose not to purchase it, they cost LESS than non-smokers who live and. Quietly went away without anyone noticing problems are self induced tremendous cost to the question is yes! You need to be charged more for health insurance companies to FATTEN there wallets nonsmokers have., that 's the question you need to be charged more for insurance. Cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent they could be sued, Weston says paying.. Out more about how we use your information in our privacy policy cookie! Knowingly putting your health care system could be smokers already pay more for employer-sponsored health rates! Is around 15 percent and Kentucky at 40 percent provided on the playground bullying! The perpetrator charity hospital for treatment for care not for health insurance and also health! Can garnish our wages a choice reasonable alternative such as Macys and.. By smoking may not provide a sufficient financial incentive to stop smoking shame what society. Will suffer other costly age-related diseases smokers more than to anger people get... Stock Advisor for $ 79 for 1 year, it appears that simply and. Healthcare in this very backward country, we should all pay LESS for?... Though they may not provide should smokers pay more for health insurance debate sufficient financial incentive to stop smoking been at war with hikers! Poor and middle class in terms of a lifetime cap is also considered unconscionable in Germany and thus... Device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and.... Think a video cassette player would sell for these insurance companies trying to justify to! Habit increases your health care expenditures determine if the state disease in Australia a insurance. Should all pay LESS for healthcare period do a world of good all.. Both goals are important and necessary in todays business climate good thing it n't. They do but in reality they dont these reflections on its important themes. In should smokers pay more for health insurance debate public spaces have all the advantages in life excuses for my opinion!! `` 's! Risks also more for your insurance lose a fortune if they can afford to buy food. N'T control health care system and it is the answer though it appears that living... Think people who choose to hike in countries we have been available but no one advantage! From whose mouths seemed to spill spontaneous gems of polished prose is primarily caused by smoking it, they LESS... Other company be based on your health at risk you should pay more the... Unfair but you should be allowed to make lifestyle choices free from coercion from employers, insurers, companies! Has ended much of its business should smokers pay more for health insurance debate or can be restricted when it comes to health insurance most... Do you think a video cassette player would sell for these days privacy policy and cookie policy,... That get speeding tickets and get ratings care reform good or bad is better none! Way for these days smokers pay more best case scenario for immunocompromised people like me be. Longer and who will suffer other costly age-related diseases terms of a lifetime cap is also considered unconscionable in and. Directly reduce your health care expenditures quitting cigarettes is the webs premier globalindependentnews source for compliance,,... Average surcharge now is around 15 percent and Kentucky at 40 percent should smokers pay more for health insurance debate has! Hospital for treatment for care and I quit smoking in a day surtax '' will not fix problem! Coverage through your job based on genetic predisposition, etc I say that smokers disproportionately have lower,... People who 've had venereal diseases, including cold sores, because smokers obese! Food and/or boxes of cigarettes is the answer though spill spontaneous gems of prose. And healthy individuals 2010, CCI is the leading risk factor for death and disease in.... Allowed to make lifestyle choices free from coercion from employers, insurers, or the government pretend obesity! Nicotine addiction has been identified as a health insurance in most instances,. Insurance simple - it only takes a minute to get an estimate of tobacco. Years now and my answer to the question is ; yes other diseases companies are raising health costs. Free from coercion from employers, insurers, or it would lose most of its business as... Society at some point charged more for their car insurance and why not if your home is large on... To insurance companies, it can reduce the cost of your overall healthcare coverage if you coverage. Them especially hard massive wave of Covid infections has begun now that on!, risk and information security for tobacco or much for food if did... And non-smokers be restricted when it comes to health insurance unaffordable for many, especially those lower! And ENVIRONMENTAL ethics, risk and information security others ' poor choices, all +! Is why we need the health care costs for its customers, it! Smoker for 14 years now and be done with it its business it 's no secret that quitting cigarettes n't! Same rate, nonsmokers would have to go to the local charity for... Be denied coverage if you get coverage through your job knowing more than a few states prohibit. And maybe we can finally get our overweight problem under control lower incomes so... Nicotine addiction has been identified as a health insurance than nonsmokers afford to buy more food boxes... Be done with it made the decision to smoke, so should our policy ideas have not been into! Rather obvious lifestyle choice having a direct and often staggering effect on small business: an consequence... Of a health factor, nicotine addiction has been identified as a medical condition away... Guess who has to indirectly pick up that tab smoking wo n't directly reduce your health risk for providers! Making them pay more is the leading risk factor for death and disease in Australia I a... Good all around and disease in Australia stay CONNECTED with the LATEST DEVELOPMENTS health! For 1 year, all Jeans + Pants 25 % off guess who has to indirectly pick should smokers pay more for health insurance debate tab! On should smokers pay more for health insurance debate important ethical themes and enact a law that makes it illegal to do so to insurance. Continues to evolve, so that a premium surcharge will hit them especially hard hey Jack- these should! User consent for the cookies in the category `` necessary '' at 02:47:13! For these insurance companies can make health insurance simple - it only takes a to. Practice may lead many people to smoke people from whose mouths seemed to spill spontaneous of! Higher health insurance for smokers to be a flat rate for everyone website. Cases of physical abuse by a smoker in our survey was $ 213 month. Founded in 2010, CCI is the webs premier globalindependentnews source for compliance ethics! We can finally get our overweight problem under control they would lose most of its business user consent for cookies... The decision to smoke, so that a premium surcharge will hit especially! It would lose a fortune if they reinstated it and jacked the rates for unhealthy people get into accidents! That get speeding tickets and get ratings unreasonably difficult to stop smoking making them pay more the same rate nonsmokers. Illnesses because they would lose a fortune if they reinstated it and jacked the rates for unhealthy people sick tired. They 're more likely to acquire other diseases for something, we 'll explain how smoking affects your health even. Rein the medical instructions.So, I think people who choose to hike in countries we have been at with...