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Pretax health insurance premiums.

Why shouldn't smokers and obese people pay higher health insurance premiums?

  • I understand that these people pay more in health insurance generally because they visit the doctor more often and thus have more medical bills. But it makes no sense to me how someone who doesn't care about their health, either by smoking, never exercising, or eating excessive ammounts of disgusting food, pays the same insurance premium of a person who makes it a priority to keep their health in the best possible shape they can. Call it discrimination, profiling, whatever you want. That's exactly what it is. If you are going to make yourself a burden to society by your disgusting habits you should be prepared to pay by facing higher health premiums, or better yet you should be denied health insurance outright. Any thoughts on this issue?

  • Answer:

    In most states people that smoke or are obese often do pay a higher premium with individual plans. Also, in those states people that have a BMI over 30 will generally pay a higher premium and if their BMI is over 35 or so (depending upon the company) they will be declined. However, the HMO act of 1973, sponsored by the late Teddy Kennedy, does not allow smokers and obese people to be charged more with group policies through an employer. This has recently been amended to allow group plans to charge smokers more with some policies but so far this is not too common.

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Well, they should, just like people who have bigger houses should pay more for house insurance! And in most states, they do. Places like NY or NJ, though, have "democratted" out, and believe it's more fair for everyone to pay the same rate. If you don't like it, you should move to a less democratic state . . . and don't vote democratic.

mbrcatz

I am healthy, don't drink, don't gamble, pay mega loads of tax, exercise but not matter how hard I have tried I can not give up smoking. I pay more for life insurance, etc. If you start to draw the line anywhere where do you stop. Should someone who drinks pay more? Should someone who plays sports pay more after all they are going to have sports related concerns? What about people who drive? Profiling already exists to an extent if you start to remove health insurance where do you stop and who decides where we stop? Who is given the job to decide and what happens when it goes to far?

Jackie

It was a bad choice they made to smoke, but they're addicted to nicotine; and like we all have our addictions; it's not fair to make them pay more. Also with obese people, how do you know they don't have a thyroid problem? You're only touching the gray area. There's so much more to it than just a "filthy habit". I hope my opinion helps!

andy

I can't speak to group policies but on individual polices smokers do pay more and morbid obesity is also a reason for a rate up for most carriers.

Shaun M

They do get charged higher premiums for medical conditions caused by smoking and obesity such as diabetes, heart problems, lung cancer for individual policies. What makes you think they dont pay more?

Flower

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