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that emans alot od tobacco smokers or marijuana smkers can be charge more. But they have always had that right and I doubt it just stops there. thign about weight to height once it starts.Then of course there is always alcohol abuse.
The thing about tobacco use it that undeniably horrible for your physical health, purely a choice with no other contributing factors besides you wanting to smoke, and difficult to hide from your doctor. Obesity is bad as well but can have numerious underlying factors that aren't as easily controlled. Weight DOES play a part in underwriting though, always has. You won't get the best rates if you are obese.
I blame macaroni and spoons While I own some spoons, macaroni never passes these lips.
I don't care, but there is no 'i' in numerous. With everyone so fussy with me and any spelling typos I may make i only feel it's fair to point out errors I see.... But i really don't care.
The thing about tobacco use it that undeniably horrible for your physical health, purely a choice with no other contributing factors besides you wanting to smoke, and difficult to hide from your doctor. Obesity is bad as well but can have numerious underlying factors that aren't as easily controlled. Weight DOES play a part in underwriting though, always has. You won't get the best rates if you are obese.
Not anymore (well, maybe for 2013, the law has been phased in over time, most hits in 2014).
Directly from wikipedia:
"Premiums in the individual private insurance exchanges could not exceed ~4.5 times the cost of the lowest cost premium plan
Pricing Factors Allowed in the exchange under the ACA:[17]:
Age: 3:1
Smoking status: 1.5:1
Pricing variation will be allowed by area (within a state) and family composition ("tier") as well."
Now whether you're 150 pounds or 450 pounds, pricing can't differ. Keep in mind that obesity costs contribute approximately 10-20% (I've seen various numbers, with some variance but almost always within that range) of total healthcare costs in America, not exactly small change. Of course insurers are going to just charge people in fatter and less healthy areas more than in others, but, I hardly consider forcing insurers to punish people for the sins of their neighbors a good thing.
that emans alot od tobacco smokers or marijuana smkers can be charge more. But they have always had that right and I doubt it just stops there. thign about weight to height once it starts.Then of course there is always alcohol abuse.
Great point Dave..... There goes legalized pot....
This is the sort of madness that ensues when you tie an industry's profit marg... I mean, the costs of a service like health care as a responsibility placed on an entire society, mandated by laws. Welcome to the joys of a dedicated revenue source and watch as new costly tabus become regulatory 'mandates' stacking one on top the other. Be healthy or pay- Ethical Bloombergian Health Industries Macroeconomics 101, w/devotees courtesy of John Hopkins and future important appointments to go along with the current acolytes in place like the CDCP directorship. Now you see why this mess couldn't be read before it was passed...
What you Obama-haters seem to conveniently forget is that this is exactly how our current healthcare system works: those who smoke pay more for insurance. It makes sense, right? After all, aren't conservatives the ones who promote personal responsibility?Since smokers cost us all more in higher healthcare costs, then they SHOULD bear the brunt of higher premiums! If anything, you Republinuts should be cheering this aspect of Obamacare.
Well, using your own logic here it would seem non-smokers should pay more for Social Security since the statistics show they likely will live longer and draw more from the program.
I just can't see tobacco merchants recording every transaction. How else can big government prove you are a smoker? Plead the fifth or remain nicotine free for a few days prior to testing.
You can fool the government, but you can't fool your lungs.
I find it interesting to see that people are even defending this part of Obamacare. I really wish that people would take the time to actually read the Obamacare law and learn what effect it is going to have on the average American. The majority of it will adversely affect health care, but I guess some people just don't want to admit it.
Question for those defending the ACA surcharge on smokers:
Wasn't this law touted as a way to make health insurance available and affordable for all Americans? I seem to remember that being one of the key points in the discussion of it. That being the case, exactly how does allowing insurance companies to charge extra for smokers accomplish this goal? If anything, there should have been a stipulation that the insurance companies couldn't charge extra for anyone, no matter what their lifestyle consisted of.
The idea is that if fewer people smoke health care costs will go down. And lives will be saved. Not just money---lives. Not everything is about health care insurance.
And the steep penalty is not counted for government subsidy of the premium.
So a poor person who smokes and couldn't afford insurance to begin with will have a steep fine that the government won't subsidize and will end up with no insurance, just like before Obamacare.
I thought that Obamacare was all about "affordability". All I see are taxes, higher premiums, penalties, fines, etc.
Smokers are not average Americans. They are a shrinking minority. They can always quit if they don't like the rules - no one is born a smoker. If smokers lack the good sense and willpower to quit, letting them die of their self-inflicted illnesses seems the prudent course.
Line up the obese, get'em up against the wall.
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While I own some spoons, macaroni never passes these lips.
