Tobacco use and the ACA (Obamacare)

[dblack]

Yep. That's where all this is headed. All of our personal health decisions are now up for political debate. Lovely.

That's bullshit of course but, where is the righteous indignation when the Rs are discussing how best to screw over women?

They're egging them on.

dblack, you DO know, don't you, that smoker's have been paying higher premiums for a long time and, its your poor beleaguered insurance companies who made that decision.

Jeeeeez.

You don't really see any difference between voluntarily doing business with a private company, and being forced into government programs, do you? That seems to be at the core of your point of view.

 

[dblack]

Why shouldn't smokers pay for their own actions?

Not long ago, the usual haters all said that gays should have to pay higher premiums because they 'engage in dangerous behavior'.

But, the op and other seem to be saying they should not have to pay for their own actions.

Yep. That's where all this is headed. All of our personal health decisions are now up for political debate. Lovely.

That's bullshit of course but, where is the righteous indignation when the Rs are discussing how best to screw over women?

They're egging them on.

Are you talking about the right-to-lifers? I'm adamantly pro-choice. I have plenty of righteous indignation around that topic.

 

[dblack]

Yep. That's where all this is headed. All of our personal health decisions are now up for political debate. Lovely.

That's bullshit of course ....

How is that bullshit? Don't you see how state control over insurance will drive this? Anything and everything that people perceive to be 'costing them money on health insurance' (that they are now required to buy) will be a target of political scapegoating. Smokers are the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

That's bullshit of course but, where is the righteous indignation when the Rs are discussing how best to screw over women?

They're egging them on.

dblack, you DO know, don't you, that smoker's have been paying higher premiums for a long time and, its your poor beleaguered insurance companies who made that decision.

Jeeeeez.

You don't really see any difference between voluntarily doing business with a private company, and being forced into government programs, do you? That seems to be at the core of your point of view.

You have a very sloppy mind and you ALWAYS cherry pick only part of the post you say you are answering.

No matter what the question is, you change the subject with your answer.

You have changed your opinion over and over and you just keep on posting and posting and posting ............ All day, every day, you're here with the same splintered opinions.

It doesn't matter what I post, you'll go running off into the woods, screaming something that is vaguely connected but not very succinct.

Enjoy playing with yourself.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

My Papa lived o be 94, he smoked cigs and cigars, dipped Skoal and chewed Redman. he died of Kidnet failure.
People get cancer and die that have never used tobacco.
It's just a reason to jack up the prices by private insurers.

I love the anecdotal stories about how someone's relative lived to be 100 smoking five packs of cigarettes per day. Those are great stories, but they ignore the millions of people who need to be hooked up to an oxygen tank for the rest of their lives due to smoking. The truth is that lung cancer isn't the worst thing that can happen to a smoker, because that usually kills them quickly. The fact is that smokers cost us more in healthcare, especially as they get older.

Actually, no. Smokers cost the healthcare system the least over the course of their lives; since they don't live as long they spend many less years accessing the system. And if you consider the amount they also pay in federal taxes to support other healthcare initiatives like SCHIP, they are contributing much more than your average non-smoker. Add in the fact that they also don't collect Social Security nearly as long, it's a net budget positive that people smoke. A free market health insurance program would naturally charge more since they do tend to have costly diseases during discrete policy periods, and the insurer gets no benefit from the shorter life span since they obviously stop paying premiums. But a "national" health plan does benefit from those things and should take them into consideration.

And I believe they take more sick days.

I'd like to see some hard data on this but really, what I care the most about is that I get a lower rate because I quit. If someone wants to smoke, I say, let them. Just keep their second hand poison away from kids and from me.

 

[Greenbeard]

Someone tell me ... should a 16 year old newly licensed driver pay the same for car insurance as a 40 year old, 30 years experience, good track record driver?

Insurers can still rate on age as a proxy for risk. They're just limited to charging the oldest pre-Medicare folks three times what they charge a young person for the same coverage.

 

[Sherry]

Which all begs the question... is tobacco usage a matter of checking a box on the application?

Is a blood test involved?

Will the government ultimately draw the blood of every American?

If not, why not?

Seriously, why would anyone admit to being a smoker if it would cost them so much more in premiums??

 

[boedicca]

Doesn't the President smoke?

Don't worry.

Federal employees get special subsidies, so he's covered.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Which all begs the question... is tobacco usage a matter of checking a box on the application?

Is a blood test involved?

Will the government ultimately draw the blood of every American?

If not, why not?

Seriously, why would anyone admit to being a smoker if it would cost them so much more in premiums??

Pretty hard to hide the stench.

Really. I had no idea how bad I smelled when I smoked. Now, I can easily smell a smoker.

 

[Sherry]

Which all begs the question... is tobacco usage a matter of checking a box on the application?

Is a blood test involved?

Will the government ultimately draw the blood of every American?

If not, why not?

Seriously, why would anyone admit to being a smoker if it would cost them so much more in premiums??

Pretty hard to hide the stench.

Really. I had no idea how bad I smelled when I smoked. Now, I can easily smell a smoker.

So these applications are filled out in the presence of government sniffers??

 

[American_Jihad]

Doesn't the President smoke?

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