Tobacco smokers to pay 50% more for Obamacare!

[sherid]

I have to agree, it does suck to have us lumped in with the tobacco users. I do however understand the reasons why insurance companies charge higher rates, and raise them for certain issues. Whether anyone likes it or not they are a business and businesses are meant to make a profit. That being said the insurance industry as a whole actually makes only a 3% profit. However, certain news outlets when they reported the increase from 2% to 3% profit increase, a whopping 1%, they reported that the insurance industry had increased their profits by 50%. While technically accurate it conveys a much more evil spin on health insurance. In reality some insurance companies are actually operating in the red this last year due to the changes made by this health care plan.

People worrying about being tested while in the hospital for nicotine and their claims being denied are alarmists. First your insurance cannot require a healthcare provider to perform such a test, nor can the provider run a test on you without your consent. So telling your insurance company you are a non-smoker is fine.

I honestly cannot completely disagree with them actually raising these premiums on us as former smokers. We did smoke for many years most of us over 10 causing health issues that will cause our medical expenses to be higher for the insurance companies. Yes we have gone onto a healthier alternative, but most of that damage has already been done. We have already laid the seeds for us to get cancer, and by our use of nicotine increase the rate at which the tumors will grow. I say this last part based on recent medical findings on nicotine and increasing blood vessel growth, which can be a good thing, but with tumors causes them to grow more rapidly.

How is it different than a buffet charging more for an adult over a child for all you can eat? I mean my wife as an adult would eat a birds portion, and my son when younger would have cleaned out 6+ plates of food w/o a problem. The risk is for the adult to cost more in food than the child. Just like the tobacco user has a higher risk to cost more medically.

It sucks that a smoker can be charged the rate, but my 300 lb. neighbor cannot be charged. It sucks that a smoker can be charged that rate, but the guy on the motorcycle cannot be charged. It sucks that the smoker can be charged that rate, but the alcoholic down the street cannot be charged. It sucks that the smoker can be charged that rate, but the guy with an arsenal of weapons and children in his home cannot be charged. It sucks that the smoker whose taxes pay for SCHiP can be charged even more than he is already paying. Really, there are few among us who do not have their own bad habits that create a dangerous risk. If we are defining the need to pay upon the risk of lifestyle, there are many many more that we need to include. In reality, there are few in society who fit the fit and healthy profile. Perhaps we need to examine why drug companies are allowed to charge 10 times what they charge for the same drug overseas. Perhaps, we need to investigate the insurance executives to find out why they can charge so much. We can follow that with asking why doctors and the elite in medical care need to charge exorbitant rates for minor care.

 

[Petrodus]

My husband was reading me the original article in the Wall Street Journal--and laughing a lot.

What goes around comes around !!

You can fool all the people some of the time,
and some of the people all the time,
but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Abraham Lincoln

 

[rothenbj]

Don't care much about the Democrats, care just as little for the Republicans- it's just a big game of getting elected. I don't really care much about Obumacare. What I care about is gun control.

I want to control the guns I decide to purchase so I can protect myself when the silent majority is silent no more.

 

[Petrodus]

You just can't make this stuff up !!
Click Here

 

[Uncle Willie]

Another thread pushing the age old conspiracy theorys and the personal agendas of some of the posters .. joy ..

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

You just can't make this stuff up !!
Click Here

Did you notice the story on the right, IRS says the cost of the cheapest "Affordable Care Act" plan for a family of 5 will be 20k a year.

 

[Petrodus]

Did you notice the story on the right, IRS says the cost of the cheapest "Affordable Care Act" plan for a family of 5 will be 20k a year.

Here's the link to the Full Story: Click Here

 

[Uncle Willie]

Did you notice the story on the right, IRS says the cost of the cheapest "Affordable Care Act" plan for a family of 5 will be 20k a year.

Well, if you're making 120K a year, as the article states, that sounds about right ..

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Just trying to figure what someones income has to do with the cost of a health plan?

 

[Petrodus]

Just trying to figure what someones income has to do with the cost of a health plan?

Can't answer that question ...
However, if I could I bet it wouldn't be the same answer
in the near future.

 

[Uncle Willie]

Just trying to figure what someones income has to do with the cost of a health plan?

The plan we're talking about is based on income ..

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

From what I'm reading in the story the tax is based on income not the cost of the plan.

 

[DC2]

The plan we're talking about is based on income ..

So rich people will be paying for the poor.

If we are agreed on that, then the discussion can begin.
And I assume it will take on a very much political and philosophical tone.

 

[Uncle Willie]

So rich people will be paying for the poor.

If we are agreed on that, then the discussion can begin.
And I assume it will take on a very much political and philosophical tone.

Of course .. why would you think it would be anything else .. ?? And the discussion can begin at any time, agreeing with you or not ..

 

[FloridaNoob]

Ironically people blame the high cost of health care on the insurance companies, when in fact most of the costs come from the health care providers instead. This in turn is caused by their need to cover costs not paid for by those who are here illegally as well as those who just don't pay there medical bills. now this would not be that bad if people only went to the hospital for life threatening illness, but they go there for the common cold and other minor non-emergency services knowing that they can not be turned away. That combined with the cost providers have to pay in malpractice insurance and all the tests they have to conduct to just keep from being sued it all adds up.

 

[Vocalek]

Some hospitals are closing down their ERs in response.

 

[Petrodus]

My thoughts sometimes drift back to what was promised
before it was voted into law...without reading it.

Regardless of ideologies ... There are consequences.

 

[Vocalek]

I cannot understand why any voter would re-elect a politician that admitted she had not read the legislation she voted for.

"We have to pass this so we can find out what's in it," may be the most asinine quote of this century.

 

[DC2]

I don't want to get too political here, so I won't say anything about Diane Feinstein or Barbara Boxer.
I would, however, like to apologize to the world for, and on behalf of California.

 

[Petrodus]

I don't want to get too political here, so I won't say anything about Diane Feinstein or Barbara Boxer.
I would, however, like to apologize to the world for, and on behalf of California.

Understood !!
Hang in there DC2 ... Keep in mind
Consequences is the Great Equalizer.