Why don't smokers pay more for health insurance? (kidney, PPO, care)
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In time I am sure more habits that are known to harm health are likely :IMO.just listen to a medical questionnaire on do you smoke; how much do you drink; do you take any drugs outside those prescribed by doctor ;anything for pain and if so now often taken. etc.
What about fatty's??? They are a huge cost to insurance companies as well. If we can get 60% of American's to stop shoveling food down their throats and 10% to quit smoking, maybe healthcare could become affordable. Just sayin'.
A lot of basic questions like this can be answered straight off of the website...
"Under the health care law, insurance companies can take into account only 5 things when setting premium costs.
Age: Older people can be charged up to 3 times more for premiums than younger people.
Geographic location: Where you live has a big effect on your premiums. Competition, local regulation, and cost of living in different areas account for this.
Tobacco Use: Insurers can charge tobacco users up to 50% more than those who don’t use tobacco.
Individual vs. family enrollment: Insurers can charge more for a plan that covers a spouse and/or dependents.
Plan category:. The categories reflect how you and the plan share costs. Bronze plans will likely have lower premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs. Platinum plans are likely to have the highest premiums and lowest out-of-pocket costs.States may limit how much these factors can affect premiums.
All Marketplace health plans cover the same list of essential health benefits. Insurance companies may offer more benefits than the minimum, which could also affect costs."
I've put the answer to OP's question in red.
After you finish your application, it asks "...within the past 6 months, have you used tobacco regularly? (4 or more times per week on average excluding religious or ceremonial uses)"
I mean you can say no but you'll get screwed later probably.
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So far as fatness goes, it's not the amount of food in some cases, but the quality of the food that is available to people who cannot afford to eat healthier. We live in a society that runs on convenience. It's cheap and easy to get a meal from McDonalds, or if you're a college student it's cheap to live on eggs and ramen. Fresh food is NOT cheap and you have to then spend gas on going to a store every week to refresh your veggies and whatnot. Before you say "Well you can walk or bike!" Duh. Don't think no one has thought of this before. If you work more than 8 hours a day to make ends meet, or work part-time and attend college, you wouldn't want to bleepin' walk to the store to spend another hour or more at home preparing a meal either. You want to be done with it all. I'm not saying that every obese person is in that situation, but there are those in that situation who don't deserve your contempt.
Former coworker's husband, heavy smoker, died two years ago at age 67, very aggressive form of bladder cancer. Check out that list above. Bladder cancer is at the top.
My sister's employer-sponsored health insurance is going up because her BMI is over 30. Just barely, but she is now in the "obese" category. They gave her six months to lose weight. She didn't do it. So, now has to pay more. She's an RN for a large medical system here in WI.
Former coworker's husband, heavy smoker, died two years ago at age 67, very aggressive form of bladder cancer. Check out that list above. Bladder cancer is at the top.
My sister's employer-sponsored health insurance is going up because her BMI is over 30. Just barely, but she is now in the "obese" category. They gave her six months to lose weight. She didn't do it. So, now has to pay more. She's an RN for a large medical system here in WI.
Yup. And I have quit smoking since. And my BMI is about 20.
One of my best friends has a BMI of over 60 and diabetic. She is almost blind now. She can't drive any more. She can barely walk. Her kidneys are on the verge of failure. She's had cardiac procedures. She is on disability, uses one of those fat people carts in stores, and basically cannot function much. Once she is sitting down, she needs help getting up. It's awful. I've watched her go downhill, and she is only two years older than me.
Thirteen years ago she could work, go for walks, drive, see, etc. It's all because of a lifetime of overeating (she'd tell you - she's addicted to food. She is obsessed with food, and eating, and the cooking channel.) It's a terrible addiction.
Why don't those who smoke pay higher insurance costs? Are you kidding? Have your head examined. Smoking, being fat, using drugs and so on have absolutely nothing to do with the choices people make in their personal lives, they are all diseases about which they can nothing. For crying out loud, making anyone pay for their smoking choices is like saying they are responsible for buying the cigarettes and everyone knows that isn't true, people are forced to buy cigarettes just like they are forced to eat too much.
When will everyone finally figure it out? This country had to come up with Obama care just to address the high health care costs, partly resulting from diseases like smoking which can strike an individual at any time. Even you can be a victim of the cigarette ads even while minding your own business.
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