ObamaCare slams smokers with sky-high premium costs, could backfire

LeatherNLace

butcherguy
reply to post by LeatherNLace

 

Just die already.

Let me know when you find someone that isn't going to die.

The longer you live, the greater load you put on the health insurance industry.

Old people suck up a ton of meds and medical testing, but to what end? They have already lived a long life without succumbing to cancer or heart disease. Plenty of them are or were smokers.

MAJOR logic fail! Getting old is an unavoidable fact of life. Smoking is a choice and is totally avoidable.

Are you denying that old people that live to a ripe old age are a load on the system?

That's the point. Why should we pay tons of healthcare dollars to keep old farts alive if they have had a long and healthy life already. Erase them from the equation and we would all save dollars.

reply to post by zillah


It sure is being reported, in a lot of places, for a long time.
rt.com..." target="_blank" class="postlink">smokers

smokers

More

And more

First off, yes, they do ask you, right on healthcare.gov

Thankfully, I don't need their wonderful healthtax, but if anyone is on there, it will be easy enough to get your rate as a smoker, then get it as a non smoker. Then you'll know the truth. I'll try that sherpa site.

LeatherNLace
reply to post by jam321

 

Smokers are just the first part of the pie. Soon they will go after those other people who don't who don't live a healthy lifestyle

Good! Can't wait. People who lead unhealthy lifestyles are the primary cause for the annual increase in insurance rates.

Wow, I sure hope you are the picture of healthy living. I hope you don't partake in any of these substances: caffeine, alcohol, excessive fats, sugary foods or drinks, or narcotics. I hope you regularly exercise and aren't overweight either. The reason I say all this is because eventually all these things will be targeted by Obamacare.

If you honestly believe that unhealthy lifestyles are the sole reason for increases in insurance prices, I have a bridge to sell you. Greed is the reason for the increases. Greed from the government and greed from the insurance companies. To scapegoat the cigarette smokers is just wrong and I can't believe you are buying into that rhetoric. For shame!

chiefsmom
reply to post by zillah

 

It sure is being reported, in a lot of places, for a long time.
rt.com..." target="_blank" class="postlink">smokers

smokers

More

And more

First off, yes, they do ask you, right on healthcare.gov

Thankfully, I don't need their wonderful healthtax, but if anyone is on there, it will be easy enough to get your rate as a smoker, then get it as a non smoker. Then you'll know the truth. I'll try that sherpa site.

My bad, chiefsmom. I thought you were saying this was a myth in response to someone else!

reply to post by zillah


No, but that is ok!

I think this whole nightmare that is AMC is a very slow trainwreck that is going to hurt way more people than it will help. Smokers are just the first victims.

And I get mad, when some people on here have as much compassion for others as a honey badger!!!

reply to post by Krazysh0t


I read an article around five or six years ago regards tobacco smokers and that nicotine made smokers less susceptible to brainwashing techniques.
I have done a quick search but cannot find it if I do I will post it.

So if anyone is interested in why "progressives" have a hard on for the old smokers then this MIGHT be a clue.

reply to post by BlackCommander


Interesting... I've never heard that before.

I seem to recall a study that former smokers are more inclined to develop various cancers and other health problems than active smokers.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


Oh geez, the Govt will penalize yet another group of people???

Not surprised. And neither should anyone else be surprised.

Ahabstar
I seem to recall a study that former smokers are more inclined to develop various cancers and other health problems than active smokers.

However I don't seem to remember any actual non-cherry picked data or a sound scientific study which proves any of that.

The point being there are just too many variables to tell. Until we grow humans in labs to test these theories on they will be just that...THEORIES. A hypothesis which may or may not be wrong...I think wrong but finding proof either way just isn't in the cards.

Krazysh0t

LeatherNLace
reply to post by jam321

 

Smokers are just the first part of the pie. Soon they will go after those other people who don't who don't live a healthy lifestyle

Good! Can't wait. People who lead unhealthy lifestyles are the primary cause for the annual increase in insurance rates.

Wow, I sure hope you are the picture of healthy living. I hope you don't partake in any of these substances: caffeine, alcohol, excessive fats, sugary foods or drinks, or narcotics. I hope you regularly exercise and aren't overweight either. The reason I say all this is because eventually all these things will be targeted by Obamacare.

If you honestly believe that unhealthy lifestyles are the sole reason for increases in insurance prices, I have a bridge to sell you. Greed is the reason for the increases. Greed from the government and greed from the insurance companies. To scapegoat the cigarette smokers is just wrong and I can't believe you are buying into that rhetoric. For shame!

You forgot to mention going outdoors without sunscreen on exposed skin.
Those risky folks get a higher incidence of skin cancer.
Why should I pay for that?

How about women that have unprotected sex?

Why should I help pay for them to have babies delivered when it was their risky behavior that caused it?

Think about it... Except for cases of rape, the woman chooses what she wants to do with her body. Why should we pay her medical bills associated with the child?

reply to post by butcherguy


Exactly, the fact of the matter is, it is impossible to live a fully healthy lifestyle. There is always something that you are doing that is unhealthy for you. Staying 100% healthy is like a full time job.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


I've honestly never understood the obsession with health to begin with, eh?

Oh, no one wants to be sick and tired, and basic health maintenance is ..well...a basic life skill. The fixation on perfect health and almost stupid fear of sickness or death is really indicative of the overall 'Fear Everything' society has become...

After all, to get all obsessed over this, how some are doing, we'd need to honestly believe life has a path where death isn't at the end for each of us. The fact is, it doesn't and life is 100% fatal to every single person who does it. No exceptions. No survivors. Ever.

So...isn't this really all about having hissy fits over how each free person chooses to balance quality of life with length of it? That's ALL that really changes, right? How long you'll have what standard of life.

I eat raw shellfish.

That behavior, which I freely choose to do, is associated with foodborne illnesses which can cause death.

Is this going to be equated with behaviors such as smoking?

Methinks most of you doth protest too much.

Take a pathology course and get a real good look at what a smoker's lungs look like, then ask yourself while you're 'longboarding to class' if that's going to be you in another short decade or two, and whether it will effect your health once you're out of your 20s.

The fact is, there are lots of ways to crap your body to hell, but smoking is almost a guaranteed one.

And yes, old people cost lots of money in their last few months typically but that's another issue and a good one for a discussion. It's idiotic to spend millions keeping an 85 year old with numerous serious medical issues alive for a few extra weeks or even months, when there's not enough medical care available to children in any given society.

But you chose to be addicted to nicotine, most of you hold to the idea of 'I can quit anytime I want to' and society is not only sick of the smell, but sick of spending a fortune trying to protect you from your own bad choices. Stop whining about the extra cost of insurance while you're paying $50+ a carton for cigarettes.

Same thing for heavy drinkers. And if we're going to treat smoking and heavy drinking as an addiction, the first choice for treatment should be locking you in a facility without the ability to buy your drugs for a good couple of weeks while you get heavy therapy for whatever it is you're nervous about or unable to deal with, like reality.

As far as being a 'nootropic', uh, NO. It's a nervous system poison, you just feel better momentarily when your toxin levels are dropping off and you hit the receptors again with another cigarette. You've long since forgotten what clear thinking without nicotine is like.

Research REAL nootropics, if you feel like enhancing your brain power.

butcherguy
I eat raw shellfish.

That behavior, which I freely choose to do, is associated with foodborne illnesses which can cause death.

Is this going to be equated with behaviors such as smoking?

Umm, no. Because eating raw shellfish is more like Russian Roulette. You'll either get off scot free, or die rather quickly, utilizing very little of the medical profession.

Good luck with that. Take pictures when your skin turns yellow and post 'em on Facebook.

reply to post by signalfire

Nicotine is just as addictive as heroin, according to studies.

So why don't we give all smokers the nicotine patch free of charge, just like heroin users get free clean syringes to prevent them from getting AIDS?

Why doesn't anyone have any compassion for the poor addicted smoker?

reply to post by signalfire


Well I'm 27 and been a pack a day smoker since 15...started at 13. And while I will say the tar is probably not gonna be conducive to healthy lungs I do think it tends to be worse with people who don't already lead healthy lives including exercise. Hell my dad is 76 and smoked since his teens and still walks over a mile each way to town daily...in a very hilly place in upstate NY so your logic of one size fits all is false.