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This opens the door to penalizing any of us without perfect genetics, BMI or other ailments I guess.
Well I think they are going to have to start charging more for certain conditions.
Remember Obamacare removes the pre-existing conditions from obtaining health insurance and limits what a person's out of pocket expenses are.
Either that or the Fed is going to have to find some new tax to cover the costs.
The high risk pool has been in operation for over 2 years now and it's cost is running twice the national average for high risk coverage. Why is the government run insurance costing twice as much as private coverage ?
Well I think they are going to have to start charging more for certain conditions.
Remember Obamacare removes the pre-existing conditions from obtaining health insurance and limits what a person's out of pocket expenses are.
Either that or the Fed is going to have to find some new tax to cover the costs.
The high risk pool has been in operation for over 2 years now and it's cost is running twice the national average for high risk coverage. Why is the government run insurance costing twice as much as private coverage ?
I don't know a lot about "Obamacare" to be honest. All I know is I used to have Blue Cross/Blue Shield and 20 years ago I had zero deductible, everything paid 100% with I think a $5.00 deductible on prescriptions. Look at how everything has changed. Much of it is the aging population and fewer payers and it's also the illegal immigrants who don't go to the doctor until it's convenient for them and they show up at the emergency room on Sunday and it costs the taxpayers $400 minimum for them to be diagnosed with strep throat when if they just had a health policy it would be less than half of that. I think there are good reasons for there to be a nationalized health system, but we have to get all the greed and opportunists out of the system.
Regarding smokers, I think it's sad the way we exploit them financially. We allow this legal industry to advertise and hook new users and then we tax them to death for their addiction.
If they all quit imagine the taxes the rest of us would have to make up for? I guess the next victims will be guys like me who like to buy a 6 pack of beer for Friday night. I suppose the tax will double the price.
I don't see anything wrong with charging more for smokers - and overweight people - and people who drink to excess for that matter. I also think that if more people are going to be covered by government sponsored programs, we need a surcharge or higher tax on junk food, colas, alcohol, etc. Let's be consistent.
Only the ones who live long enough to get back everything they paid into the system. I do not expect to be so fortunate.
I believe the ratio is 3/1 in favor of a higher medicare payout than what you contributed.
General revenues subsidized the cost of Medicare by 25% from the start. That subsidy is now 40% and is projected to grow to 50% by the end of this decade.
I don't see anything wrong with charging more for smokers - and overweight people - and people who drink to excess for that matter. I also think that if more people are going to be covered by government sponsored programs, we need a surcharge or higher tax on junk food, colas, alcohol, etc. Let's be consistent.
Obamacare is not charging more for anyone other than smokers.
And this goes for people on private insurance, not just government subsidized insurance through the pools. What the government did was give the green light to insurance companies to charge up to 50% more in premiums.
Obamacare is a done deal, not a proposal. There is no "surcharge" for other vices.
And you'll continue paying for all those smokers that are on medicaid.
Didn't see this covered in a search of this forum, so I'll assume it is a new topic.
Millions of smokers could be priced out of health insurance because of tobacco penalties in President Obama’s health-care law, according to experts who are just now teasing out the potential impact of a little-noted provision in the massive legislation.
The Affordable Care Act allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums starting Jan. 1, 2014.
For a 55-year-old smoker, the penalty could reach nearly $4,250 annually. A 60-year-old could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of premiums.
People who are 65+ who have been smoking for 40+ years? Well, they must DEAD already, have lung cancer already, OR will be dying sooner rather than later of SOMETHING.
As another poster said, a 71 who quits might live 3 months longer!!!!!!! At what age does it reach the point when it becomes just plain silly to penalize someone for smoking? If they have reached their 70s, or 80s (impossible?), leave them ALONE.
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Seniors on Medicare too?
