Should insurance companies charge smokers?

meg7399

This is why we need a socialist based health system! You can't charge people more based on freedom based life choices! Smoking is not illegal folks don't act like it is! Our insurance companies are in a bad enough state! I was DENIED independent health care while I was still a full time student but too old for my parents plans...WHY? Because I was seeking treatment from a nuerologist for disabeling migraines. Can you just imagine the $h!t storm that would have happened if they found out I was a smoker at that time too? They would probably have tried to have me locked up! Until smoking is against the law, we can't penalize people for making a perfectly legal choice. Its unconstitutional. Much like my HIGHER costs than the men in my job because I am at the baby making age...BS, unconstitutional!

dramatic much?

why do we penalize a 16 year old on his car insurance? is that unconstituional too? LOL if you willingly take on extra risk in your life you have to pay.

it amazes me how few people understand how insurance works and that insurance companies are for profit.

Seriously? Dramatic....or just honest? We penalize 16 year olds because driving is a CHOICE, yet human life is a right. Did you seriously just put those two in the same category? An extra risk, that is deemed legal and supported by our government...nope shouldn't get an extra cost...

Can you just imagine the $h!t storm that would have happened if they found out I was a smoker at that time too? They would probably have tried to have me locked up!

you dont think thats dramatic? or do you actually believe they'd lock you up? talk about paranoid if so.

driving is a choice but smoking is not? what world are you living in?

and the point is moot this will become more and more common thankfully. all the people who like to engage in dangerous and stupid activities(smoking has to be one of the dumbest things you can do) will continue to pay more for it.

Oooooh....you don't understand sarcasm. I get it, yeah, I was not being dramatic just sarcastic. Sorry for the confusion. Also, clearly you didn't get ANYTHING I wrote. DRIVING is a choice....its your choice to drive thus car insurance companies function differently than health insurance companies. I do not believe it is a choice to have HEALTHCARE, or access to medical help. Smoking, yes, big choice, but constitutionally is legal and shouldn't be used to deny basic rights we deserve. Until the right to smoke is taken away (just like the right to eat as you choose, or have a high risk job, etc) I don't think one should be penalizd.

sherisse69

I agree 1000%
I also they should charge extra for being:
fat
type 2 diabetics
motor cycle riders
sky diver
boat operator
drinker
private pilot
and any other thing that puts a person's life at risk including driving.
Its a person's right to smoke, its legal and for all you nice folks that want to push your will on u,s that do, I wish you would push your will up your anal orifice. Have a nice evening.

Oh I soooo agree!!!!!

All you high and mighty people who think you are better because you don't smoke - trust me, there are plenty of things people could still judge you for - but notice...they don't!

Smoking is legal. Government will never ban it - LOook at the cash cow it is! However society already makes us outcasts - protecting you all from our deadly cigarettes smoke - keep us away - but keep huffing all the gas fumes, smog and toxins in the environment - eat your processed and packaged foods, clean with chemicals and no mask, use ur aerosols, etc. But no, you will only die if you smoke or breath in our cigarette smoke!!! Get off your high horse! We are NOT DUMB!!! We just have a bad habit - that society encouraged for how many years!!!!! Lordy!

Thanks - I need that!

sarahharmintx

We got a quote for life insurance on my hubby. After the blood work they found tobacco in his system and upped the price. I think its fair. Its also fair that they upped it so much that I no longer want to buy it from them.

kokaneesailor

Yes. ( I just got the memo that smoking is bad for you, so I quit)

corn63

I agree 1000%
I also they should charge extra for being:
fat
type 2 diabetics
motor cycle riders
sky diver
boat operator
drinker
private pilot
and any other thing that puts a person's life at risk including driving.
Its a person's right to smoke, its legal and for all you nice folks that want to push your will on u,s that do, I wish you would push your will up your anal orifice. Have a nice evening.

Oh I soooo agree!!!!!

All you high and mighty people who think you are better because you don't smoke - trust me, there are plenty of things people could still judge you for - but notice...they don't!

Smoking is legal. Government will never ban it - LOook at the cash cow it is! However society already makes us outcasts - protecting you all from our deadly cigarettes smoke - keep us away - but keep huffing all the gas fumes, smog and toxins in the environment - eat your processed and packaged foods, clean with chemicals and no mask, use ur aerosols, etc. But no, you will only die if you smoke or breath in our cigarette smoke!!! Get off your high horse! We are NOT DUMB!!! We just have a bad habit - that society encouraged for how many years!!!!! Lordy!

Thanks - I need that!

Somebody needs to cut back to decaf.

sherisse69

Should insurance companies charge people who smoke MORE money? Would it be right for an employer to ban their employees from smoking, and treat cigarettes like they would any other drug like marijuana?

I think smokers should be charged extra, as their choice in doing something harmful to their body can and most likely will result in major health problems. I also think it should be banned from any and all workplaces (make it a terminable offense). OR if they are allowed to smoke, they should have to clock in and out for their breaks. It's stupid how they can take several 10-15 minute breaks/day, while the rest of us have a 30 min break at lunch.

Let's start rewarding people who make healthy decisions, and start making people who choose to damage their own bodies pay up.

How Judgemental. I love when people punish an ENTIRE group of people for something SOME people in a group do. I am a smoker. I don't take extra breaks. Half the time, I don't even clock out to eat lunch. You think I should be fired from my job, because I participate in a LEGAL activity, work the same amount of hours as my coworkers, and take the breaks that I am legally entitled to? No - it's not right to treat tobacco the same as marijuana. Would you like to know why? Because in this country, tobacco is legal. Marijuana is NOT. Don't like it? Write a letter to your congressman. Change the laws. Until then, please keep your judgmental ideas to yourself.

I like this!

sherisse69

Would it be right for an employer to ban their employees from smoking, and treat cigarettes like they would any other drug like marijuana?

...

I I also think it should be banned from any and all workplaces (make it a terminable offense).

So, are you saying that people should be fired for smoking in the work place, or for smoking period?

People have been fired for smoking

They take too many breaks and smell bad in meetings.

It's certainly with in a company's power to have rules against smoking at work, and to fire violators accordingly. However I'm wondering if the OP is suggesting that people should be fired for smoking on their own time, away from the work place.

Maybe, but your lunch breaks and time before you start work are also your own time. Even when you smoke at those times you'll still stink when you come back to the office. A lot of people tend to be repulsed by that.

Then we should also ban all perfumes and colognes because folks can be repulsed by that too. See how it works, one thing is taken away for the good of the people and the next thing that will be taken away will be something you hold dear and then what will you say then.

people are asked to not wear cologne if the smell is offensive. Same goes for bad hygine and body odor. I'd put smokers in the same catagory as offensive body odor if anything

uhhhh....they don't get charged more for insurance if they stink.....just saying.....

fit4lifeUcan2

smokers, overweight etc..should all be charged more.

just like teen drivers being charged more...the more risk the more you pay.

Yes and the elderly have the same if not higher rates as teenagers. Once you turn 70 your car insurance almost triples.

You ARE a higher risk for health problems when you either have an unhealthy weight or you participate in risky behavior such as smoking or when your a teen driver or elderly driver. Its just a known fact. Statistics prove it. Unhealthy people should pay more because they use more resources such as need more meds, more doctors appointments, more testing for things such as High cholesterol, heart disease, high BP, which then leads to kidney and liver problems. Also your at higher risk for diabetes which also leads to more medical problems.

Don't like your high insurance rates do something about it. Get moving and eat healthy. Get your stats down.

I've tried to get life insurance but my rates would be out of reach for me because I have MS. But my life expectancy is not any less than anyone else my age. But based on my diagnosis I am at higher risk for infections and other problems associated with the medications and treatments I would need to keep my MS from progressing and I"m at higher risk for blood clots due to the inability to move around like most people. Thats just how it is. It costs more to insure someone who has a disability, is over weight or smokes all because it takes more resources to keep that person's health in check.

fit4lifeUcan2

I guess it's up to the insurance company, but if we go there, does that mean we should charge more for people who have other medical conditions, like myself, who has asthma? I don't know, I think there should be things offered to help people who are over weight and struggling with drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other destructive behavior. The company I work for offers free seminars, has a free employee resource center for counseling, have a wellness group as well as competitions for weight loss and you can big cash prices, $1000. They also have a room reserved for massages to help with stress. I love my company for that. They also include free preventative appointments and things like that.

You could be denied by insurance companies for your asthma because it would be considered a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies are *kitten*....I don't think they actually give two ****s about people's health. It's ALL money.

Medical insurance co. are no longer allowed to deny you insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. It is now illegal thanks to Obama care. There used to be a waiting period of up to 6 months for coverage for those conditions but that was also done away with. Now all medical insurance companies have to cover for pre-existing conditions. I study health insurance and reimbursement and work as a counselor for a non profit helping people understand their insurance rights and responsibilities.

chivalryder

I love the fact that I live in Canada and nearly everything medical related is covered.

Sure, I pay for it through my taxes, so less money goes into my pocket, but the amount I could possibly have to pay with my credit card would be more than I pay through my taxes. My buddy has had 3 knee surgeries in the past two years, each one would have been over $10k if he had it done in the states.

My other buddy was almost killed by a guy texting while driving. He spent 9 months in hospital, in a private room. Didn't pay a cent. How much would that have cost in the USA?

I know it's off topic, but just saying that I love how I don't have to deal with this up here.

fit4lifeUcan2

are you on an indiviiiudal plan? every one i have looked at asked for your weight. and that figured into the premium cost. but if you get it through work sometimes that is already factored in.
[/quote]

Yes mine is through work. I work with a lot of overweight and out of shape people so I'm probably paying extra for them that means :grumble:
[/quote]

Actually YES! Your group work insurance is based on a POOL of your entire company and their risk factors. IF you work at a job where people are at high risk for injury or illness then yes your insurance premiums would be high. If lets say you work as a model and everyone is always working out and thin and eating a healthy diet and your all healthy (just an example don't freak on me) then your in a group that is less likely to get sick or injured. If you work for a company that digs ditches and people hurt their backs or get stuck in a ditch and killed or they get hernias a lot then your premiums will be higher because everyone is at a higher risk for injury.

fit4lifeUcan2

I love the fact that I live in Canada and nearly everything medical related is covered.

Sure, I pay for it through my taxes, so less money goes into my pocket, but the amount I could possibly have to pay with my credit card would be more than I pay through my taxes. My buddy has had 3 knee surgeries in the past two years, each one would have been over $10k if he had it done in the states.

My other buddy was almost killed by a guy texting while driving. He spent 9 months in hospital, in a private room. Didn't pay a cent. How much would that have cost in the USA?

I know it's off topic, but just saying that I love how I don't have to deal with this up here.

My question to you would be how good was the care and just how long did your husband have to wait for tests and that surgery? I have a friend in Canada who has had to wait 6 months just for an MRI and then another 6 months to see his neurologist. I call for my appointments and get in within a week or sooner.

Laces_0ut

[Oooooh....you don't understand sarcasm. I get it, yeah, I was not being dramatic just sarcastic. Sorry for the confusion. Also, clearly you didn't get ANYTHING I wrote. DRIVING is a choice....its your choice to drive thus car insurance companies function differently than health insurance companies. I do not believe it is a choice to have HEALTHCARE, or access to medical help. Smoking, yes, big choice, but constitutionally is legal and shouldn't be used to deny basic rights we deserve. Until the right to smoke is taken away (just like the right to eat as you choose, or have a high risk job, etc) I don't think one should be penalizd.

its you who doesnt understand what being overly dramatic is. and its clear you dont understand how insurance works or that they are a for profit business.

dont get upset that you have to pay more for such a dangerous activity like smoking. or you could just man up and quit?

chivalryder

I love the fact that I live in Canada and nearly everything medical related is covered.

Sure, I pay for it through my taxes, so less money goes into my pocket, but the amount I could possibly have to pay with my credit card would be more than I pay through my taxes. My buddy has had 3 knee surgeries in the past two years, each one would have been over $10k if he had it done in the states.

My other buddy was almost killed by a guy texting while driving. He spent 9 months in hospital, in a private room. Didn't pay a cent. How much would that have cost in the USA?

I know it's off topic, but just saying that I love how I don't have to deal with this up here.

My question to you would be how good was the care and just how long did your husband have to wait for tests and that surgery? I have a friend in Canada who has had to wait 6 months just for an MRI and then another 6 months to see his neurologist. I call for my appointments and get in within a week or sooner.

I don't have a husband.

I don't know the details about my buddy's surgeries. All I know is that he had three of them, and he didn't have to pay a cent.

I've never had an issue with quality, unless you count quacks, but you get those everywhere. The biggest issue I've ever had was the symptoms of Meniere's Syndrom. Needed to see a specialist for it - had an appointment a week after my doctor said she would set me up with one, and I had all the tests - MRI, ENG, CTI, and VEMP all within a month. Never had to wait.

I rarely have to experience long waits, and I don't know many people who have had to wait more than a month for something.

RGv2

This is why we need a socialist based health system! You can't charge people more based on freedom based life choices! Smoking is not illegal folks don't act like it is! Our insurance companies are in a bad enough state! I was DENIED independent health care while I was still a full time student but too old for my parents plans...WHY? Because I was seeking treatment from a nuerologist for disabeling migraines. Can you just imagine the $h!t storm that would have happened if they found out I was a smoker at that time too? They would probably have tried to have me locked up! Until smoking is against the law, we can't penalize people for making a perfectly legal choice. Its unconstitutional. Much like my HIGHER costs than the men in my job because I am at the baby making age...BS, unconstitutional!

dramatic much?

why do we penalize a 16 year old on his car insurance? is that unconstituional too? LOL if you willingly take on extra risk in your life you have to pay.

it amazes me how few people understand how insurance works and that insurance companies are for profit.

Seriously? Dramatic....or just honest? We penalize 16 year olds because driving is a CHOICE, yet human life is a right. Did you seriously just put those two in the same category? An extra risk, that is deemed legal and supported by our government...nope shouldn't get an extra cost...

Can you just imagine the $h!t storm that would have happened if they found out I was a smoker at that time too? They would probably have tried to have me locked up!

you dont think thats dramatic? or do you actually believe they'd lock you up? talk about paranoid if so.

driving is a choice but smoking is not? what world are you living in?

and the point is moot this will become more and more common thankfully. all the people who like to engage in dangerous and stupid activities(smoking has to be one of the dumbest things you can do) will continue to pay more for it.

Oooooh....you don't understand sarcasm. I get it, yeah, I was not being dramatic just sarcastic. Sorry for the confusion. Also, clearly you didn't get ANYTHING I wrote. DRIVING is a choice....its your choice to drive thus car insurance companies function differently than health insurance companies. I do not believe it is a choice to have HEALTHCARE, or access to medical help. Smoking, yes, big choice, but constitutionally is legal and shouldn't be used to deny basic rights we deserve. Until the right to smoke is taken away (just like the right to eat as you choose, or have a high risk job, etc) I don't think one should be penalizd.

This gave me the best laugh I've had in a while.

Driving is legal and a choice. If deemed high risk you should pay more for insurance.

Smoking is legal and a choice. If deemed high risk you shouldn't pay more for insurance.

Which way is it? So, since I don't smoke my insurance should go up to cover those who do so we pay the same amount? Am I about on point here?

My premiums continue to drop as I get older because my body analysis is getting better/staying the same. Is that "fair"?

cutchro

when I was a smoker... OH NO!! lol Unless I started having to see a Doc more often... Which I did not.

However, now that I am a non-Smoker almost 3 years.... I don't care! :happy:

carneson3

I guess it's up to the insurance company, but if we go there, does that mean we should charge more for people who have other medical conditions, like myself, who has asthma? I don't know, I think there should be things offered to help people who are over weight and struggling with drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other destructive behavior. The company I work for offers free seminars, has a free employee resource center for counseling, have a wellness group as well as competitions for weight loss and you can big cash prices, $1000. They also have a room reserved for massages to help with stress. I love my company for that. They also include free preventative appointments and things like that.

You could be denied by insurance companies for your asthma because it would be considered a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies are *kitten*....I don't think they actually give two ****s about people's health. It's ALL money.

Medical insurance co. are no longer allowed to deny you insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. It is now illegal thanks to Obama care. There used to be a waiting period of up to 6 months for coverage for those conditions but that was also done away with. Now all medical insurance companies have to cover for pre-existing conditions. I study health insurance and reimbursement and work as a counselor for a non profit helping people understand their insurance rights and responsibilities.

Yes this I know this but the only reason insurance companies did that is because they were forced to by the govt. Back in the day (and we're talking like what a year ago?) they would even drop people if they got sick and didn't want to provide coverage for them. Oh i'm sorry, but the insurance you got for just this reason doesn't feel like covering you anymore because now we're paying you instead of you paying us and see that's just not cool with us. Nothing could ever convince me health insurance companies actually care about health. They're still the same and will try to find ways around the govt regulations. Greed is the name of the game.

lwagnitz

I love the fact that I live in Canada and nearly everything medical related is covered.

Sure, I pay for it through my taxes, so less money goes into my pocket, but the amount I could possibly have to pay with my credit card would be more than I pay through my taxes. My buddy has had 3 knee surgeries in the past two years, each one would have been over $10k if he had it done in the states.

My other buddy was almost killed by a guy texting while driving. He spent 9 months in hospital, in a private room. Didn't pay a cent. How much would that have cost in the USA?

I know it's off topic, but just saying that I love how I don't have to deal with this up here.

My question to you would be how good was the care and just how long did your husband have to wait for tests and that surgery? I have a friend in Canada who has had to wait 6 months just for an MRI and then another 6 months to see his neurologist. I call for my appointments and get in within a week or sooner.

Just so you know, to get into a specialist in the states, you're going to have to wait that long, if not more, as well. I had hip surgery, which by the way costed $11,000 AFTER health insurance (and this was after all the co-pays were used) not including the 3 MRIs I had, several x-rays, countless doctors and doctor appointments, physical therapy, at home care, and the list goes on and on. And my treatment wasn't good, either. It took them almost 4 years to figure out what was wrong, and for a long time they had the balls to tell me I was faking it. It had gotten so bad that when they did the surgery I had to have anchors to hold my cartilage, shave my bone and even remove scar tissue. The scar tissues there STILL causes me problems, and 2 years later still have problems. The weakness in that side is now causing me problems in my other hip and SI joint. It took me 4 months to get my first appointment with the first specialist I got into. The next time I went in, I got in in 5 months, and the only reasons I got in THAT soon was because my physical therapist at my school knew the doctor. Honestly, you should look into the German medical care - I think that is, hands down, the best system. & yes I knew about the pre-existing conditions thing, btw. I was lucky enough to already be on insurance when I was diagnosed, but surprised I wasn't dropped due to what I was talking about above. Now, I'm lucky enough to be on my mom's healthy insurance until I'm 26 (I'm 19 and married) otherwise I'd be screwed with all the PT, cortisone shots, and other crap I'm STILL going through due to all those problems.

**EDIT:
To add to that, I've had other bad experiences with doctors. My physician sent me away with a broken foot and a 3rd degree sprained ankle without even reading the x-rays (sent me home and said they'd call with results), one time I had a cough for 3 months so bad I was throwing up I was coughing so hard. I told her that I might have whooping cough cause I had all the classic signs and that gasping wheezing thing, and I've never had the vaccine because my sister almost died from in (the allergic reaction is hereditary). She told me it was impossible that I had it because there would be an outbreak of it. A week and a half later they called me to come back in and get tested because there was an outbreak of it. F'ing idiots. It's a simple test, like a strep test down your nose - had the test before. The hospital told my dad he was a drunk because he was in so much pain. He had really bad gall stones and throwing blood clots but sent him back home, which btw, almost killed him. They turned my uncle away at an ER because they thought he was drunk but had a horrible brain anurism and was basically a vegetable the rest of his life. That's not all, either. I'm sick of hearing that excuse about the Canadian healthcare system. And anyone who thinks that Obama Care is anything like it is profoundly ignorant.

fit4lifeUcan2

I guess it's up to the insurance company, but if we go there, does that mean we should charge more for people who have other medical conditions, like myself, who has asthma? I don't know, I think there should be things offered to help people who are over weight and struggling with drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other destructive behavior. The company I work for offers free seminars, has a free employee resource center for counseling, have a wellness group as well as competitions for weight loss and you can big cash prices, $1000. They also have a room reserved for massages to help with stress. I love my company for that. They also include free preventative appointments and things like that.

You could be denied by insurance companies for your asthma because it would be considered a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies are *kitten*....I don't think they actually give two ****s about people's health. It's ALL money.

Medical insurance co. are no longer allowed to deny you insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. It is now illegal thanks to Obama care. There used to be a waiting period of up to 6 months for coverage for those conditions but that was also done away with. Now all medical insurance companies have to cover for pre-existing conditions. I study health insurance and reimbursement and work as a counselor for a non profit helping people understand their insurance rights and responsibilities.

Yes this I know this but the only reason insurance companies did that is because they were forced to by the govt. Back in the day (and we're talking like what a year ago?) they would even drop people if they got sick and didn't want to provide coverage for them. Oh i'm sorry, but the insurance you got for just this reason doesn't feel like covering you anymore because now we're paying you instead of you paying us and see that's just not cool with us. Nothing could ever convince me health insurance companies actually care about health. They're still the same and will try to find ways around the govt regulations. Greed is the name of the game.

Basically insurance companies are a business. They are not in it to pay out money to everyone. They are trying to make money. Thats the bottom line. So yes they will do whatever they can within the law and not within the law if they can get away with it...to keep from paying out. Its just the name of the game which is business and that is what insurance companies are after all... a business. Unfortunately.. :sad: