Should smokers and obese people have to pay more for Insurance?
By rick615
@rick615 (413)
United States
January 19, 2007 5:47pm CST
This was a topic on the radio today. Do people think we need charge more for health insurance for people who smoke? Or are obese? The idea is that they use up more of our helath dollars and raise the cost of health insurance for all of us.
For those in countries with national health care, should they put a tax on cigarettes to help supplement the cost of health care?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
20 Jan 07
Does that mean people who have something wrong with them they should pay more? Or how about parents who have children born with problems...should they pay more? Smoking is legal and it should not be punished. As for obesity there are more reasons for it then just over eating. Thre are health conditions that can cause it not to mention side effects to some medications. So no I don't think they should pay more for insurance.
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
19 Jan 07
And that is a load of Rubbish
I spent 40 years hardly going to the Doctor and I smoked 23 years of that I was always healthy apart from the odd Flu
Then I was diagnosed with an uncurable Illness which has been caused because all my Life I had something wrong but it was never detected
So as far as I am concerned that is rubbish
@mom2chriskel (1060)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Umm..I'm overweight from having children--working on losing those extra pounds BUT I'm never at the doctor--there are people much tinier than me that are ALWAYS at the doctor.
My husband works and we pay our health insurance through his work. If you raise it for one problem you have to raise it for ALL problems. For someone who has mental problems, chronic colds, cancer, heart problems, genetic issues--you name the problem it has to be raised and by the time the government is done EVERYONE will be paying such outrageous prices for health insurance that no one will be able to afford it. BTW--I'm aware if someone has certain health problems already their insurance is raised out of this world and I think it just plain sucks.
@sizzle3000 (3036)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Who has the right to say who is obese and who is not? If I weigh 300 pounds and am happy and healthy why should you call me obese. You do not pay my insurance I work hard to pay it. I pay taxes unlike the illegal immagrants and they get free health care as well as schooling for their children.
That was just one sinario. The point is I have asmtha and the medication that I take caused me to gain weight. If I don't take the meds I don't breathe. You tell me what am I supposed to do. I am in pretty good health other than that. I only visit the doctor three times a year for my check ups. Why should I pay more than 96 pound person with an eating disorder who goes to the doctors every other day. Stop stereo typing people. This is a type of prejudice.
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
28 Jan 09
The tax on cigs is already high enough and rising all the time. If you are going to single out the smokers and obese people then in all fairness we should go after the drinkers as well. Put a higher tax on fast foods but don't single out the obese. I know many who can eat that stuff regularly and not gain a pound.
