Don’t Charge Smokers More for Insurance, Health Groups and Tobacco Makers Say
Public health groups and tobacco companies are united in their opposition to a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that allows insurance companies to charge smokers 50 percent more than nonsmokers, The Washington Post reports.
Groups such as the American Cancer Society say the high cost could make health insurance too expensive for smokers, who are disproportionately low income. Tobacco companies object to the provision because they say it discriminates against smokers, the article notes.
“We’re anti-smoking, not anti-smoker,” David Woodmansee of the American Cancer Society told the newspaper.
Tobacco companies and public health groups may have success in fighting the provision on the state level. States can bar health insurance companies from considering tobacco use when they set rates.
Under the ACA, starting in 2014 health insurance companies will no longer be able to charge higher premiums for patients who are expected to have higher health costs. However, the law does allow insurers to charge smokers up to a 50 percent surcharge on premiums.
An analysis by the Institute for Health Policy Solutions estimated as a result of the surcharge, a low-income person’s premium could increase from $708 to $3,308.
Most health insurance companies support the provision. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association said if insurers are not allowed to adjust rates for tobacco use, they will have to raise rates for everyone.
An alternative might be to sharply raise the tax on tobacco products and devote the revenue to medical coverage. This would have the added benefit of reducing new users.
If smokers are charged more for insurance than drinkers and drug users should also pay more!
I applaud such efforts to stop discrimination against smokers. I hope the same folks will fight discrimination against those who are trying to get off cigarettes by using low-risk products like electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. If insurance companies punish people for having any nicotine in their system or ask them to declare themselves to be “niootine free” they actually punish some people who are trying to do the right thing.
Using smokeless tobacco to quit smoking is more addictive! Using non-FDA approved e-cigarettes that contain nicotine to get off nicotine is like using martinis to get off addiction to beer. Sounds good to me! No wonder the big tobacco companies are now pushing them.
Benny…I used ecigs to quit smoking, not nicotine. It is the delivery system that is the problem; inhaled nicotine is pretty harmless compared to smoking. If you really want to help smokers read the research and start promoting ecigs!
YOU GO FATHER! GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE!!!!
How about rewarding people for healthy livestyle choices, i.e. discounts on their insurance for being tobacco free, within normal weight range, keeping blood glucose levels in check, exercising, etc.? We can’t afford to keep the status quo.
Not only does it make sense from an economics view, but it would give smokers one more strong incentive to quit. As an ex-smoker, I remember that the increasing price of cigarettes was one factor that played a part in my decision.