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

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.

Spoken in true ignorance...greed is the cause you were looking for. GREED!

We smokers are the most kicked around and underrepresented group in the USA. Even Red states have used sin taxes to tax the crap outta smokers. We pay more yet have to go outside and in some places outside isn't good enough. The government added afc chemicals to cigarettes without studying the health risks, and now they are going to make smokers choose between there legal product or healthcare.

Smokers don't cost the system more they usually don't live long enough!!!!
NO Taxation Without Representation!!!!


They will come for the gum chewers next (literbugs all of them!)

reply to post by LeatherNLace

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

Don't worry, they will find a way to include the healthy ones as well. And I type this as I munch down on my whataburger fries. Damn, they are good.

As for being the primary cause, that can be debated.

reply to post by LDragonFire


I don't know about you or your habbits but I personally smoke a pack a day. I longboard 1.2miles to and from class daily if not twice a day...sometimes I'm late and have my before class smoke on the way. I never show up out of breath and barely ever get sick. When I do get sick my symptoms generally seem lesser than those sick around me and I tend to fight things off faster. My last doctor or ER visit was more than 3 years ago and that was for pinkeye that just wouldnt go away and started to swell. So I call BS on the whole shenanigan.

Wanted to add to put in perspective...1.2mi in 12-15min not 30min.

LeatherNLace
AWESOME!!! If you are going to intentionally give yourself cancer, then guess what? You should be uninsurable! Just die already. To complain about higher rates for smokers is pathetic. Smokers should consider themselves lucky that they can even get insurance. And I say this as a former smoker.

edit on 25-11-2013 by LeatherNLace because: (no reason given)

Say's the person who poisons their own body with chemicals such as splenda.

LeatherNLace
AWESOME!!! If you are going to intentionally give yourself cancer, then guess what? You should be uninsurable! Just die already. To complain about higher rates for smokers is pathetic. Smokers should consider themselves lucky that they can even get insurance. And I say this as a former smoker.

edit on 25-11-2013 by LeatherNLace because: (no reason given)

Are you suggesting heart disease, lung cancer, cancer or any other disease that smokers get, that people who don't smoke don't get?

Smokers are cheaper in the long run because they typically don't live as long as non smokers. Your preaching a media induced fallacy. Just like 50k people die every year from second hand smoke, only there isn't evidence to prove this.

The last time I researched this there were 5 death certificates worldwide that confirmed death by second hand smoke.

There is a factory in LA that filters the air we all breath and they are producing plastic out of it, give me a brake with smoking!!!

LeatherNLace
AWESOME!!! If you are going to intentionally give yourself cancer, then guess what? You should be uninsurable! Just die already. To complain about higher rates for smokers is pathetic. Smokers should consider themselves lucky that they can even get insurance. And I say this as a former smoker.

edit on 25-11-2013 by LeatherNLace because: (no reason given)

So you figure it's the role of Government in a free nation to FORCE by threat of financial destruction, the choice of adults to use or not use a perfectly legal product sold in every corner store in the nation?

That's an interesting take on the role of Government in the lives of it's citizens. Since Government now does run Health Care in more than a passing way, the choice to FORCE behavior adjustment by threat like this is very much the actions of the Government directly against the Governed.

I don't recall seeing an asterix in the Constitution under Due Process or Equal Protection ' *Except for those citizens who happen to smoke tobacco '

reply to post by Logarock

Just think of the money they can strong-arm out of the sugar industry and related confection producers if they can get tobacco down on the ropes. Just think of the flow! A one dollar tax on fast food meals for the good of humanity. The possibilities are endless.

Or just stop spending money on useless crap. That's always a possibility as well. If I can buy a toilet seat or a hammer for less than $100, so can the White House and all affiliated agencies. I still think we ought to audit them.

Wrabbit2000

So you figure it's the role of Government in a free nation to FORCE by threat of financial destruction, the choice of adults to use or not use a perfectly legal product sold in every corner store in the nation?

Yes Actually, it's not the government making this decision; it's the free market insurance companies that are making the decision. Get back to me when we have single payer and we will have this discussion.

My rates are higher because of such folks. Make them uninsurable and I am happy with them killing themselves....so long as it's not at my expense.

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.

The problem is...

Cigarettes and tobacco generate a TON of revenue from taxes and tariffs.

So, they want us to quit smoking by spending tons of money on anti-smoking ads and huge insurance rate increases...but they'll loose all of the tax revenue from it that they so eagerly want.

What is it? Do you want to tax us smokers and make money? Or, do they really want us to quit?

You can't have your cake and eat it too. The government either wants to let us keep smoking and tax it fairly, or have us quit and risk loosing a pretty nice tax revenue stream.

reply to post by LeatherNLace


I certainly hope you are and continue to be the absolute perfect picture of health and personal choice for continuing that indefinitely.

Just as smokers were only the first, not the last to be attacked as an entire industry at once for money to attorneys and the Government, they are the first..and WILL NOT be the last in this to be forced to change by edict and raw power of Government.

They can't outlaw the product so they outlaw the ability of it's consumers to enjoy the same basic 'rights' (we're repeatedly told Health Care is a RIGHT, after all) as any other citizen.

I don't particularly like Smokers these days..but I keep that to myself because it really is my problem, not theirs. They seem happy enough, as I was when I smoked. Being a jerk wouldn't get me to quit and making me uninsurable would have simply caused me to wonder when we stopped being a free nation?

Apparently...Freedom is anything BUT free to some people's thinking, when it comes to some other folks in society. Odd how that works.... Equality, but not QUITE equal. Never entirely.

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.

Caver78
One thing everyone overlooks is TAXES.
Suppose everyone quit….your taxes would skyrocket since smokers are subsidizing all manner of things.

Yep, I was going to say smokers finance the SCHIP program in Virginia among other things.
We're talking tens of billions of $ in taxes here, not chump change.
Why are smokers the only group penalized? What about overweight people, people who drink, those who do extreme sports, people who travel a lot? They are all high risk.

As usual smokers are the only group they feel they have a moral superiority to.
So we get the shaft.
Thanks society!!!

I'll even do everyone a favor by dying earlier and costing social security less.
Can I get a thank you?

chiefsmom
reply to post by StoutBroux

 

Sorry, no

Obama care facts

This is right off the fact myth website, I can find more if you wish.

Except I believe the dispelled myths are located under "Obamacare Myths" on the left side of the page.

obamacarefacts.com...

Well this is no new, since the Obama care passing is been a lot of controversy about what will be taxed, regulated and included on the overall prices that will affect your premiums, so the so call care for everybody comes with a tag depending where you fall.

Now, smokers will not be the only ones affected, I believe is going to be regulations for Obesity, Obesity Rating for Every American Must Be Included in Stimulus-Mandated Electronic Health Records, Says HHS back in 2010.

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.

And so is using a cellphone up to your head. There are studies (I don't put munch into them or believe them myself) that indicate a loose connection to brain cancers from excessive cellphone use. If true, then maybe if smokers can be economically forced out of health care now, then in 10-15 years cellphone users will be next? After all, cell phone use is a choice...not an unavoidable fact of life.


ETA: What about coffee drinkers? That extra caffeine is a choice to consume, should they be next in line at the "increased health cost" trough?

Nicotine is a Nootropic drug that makes people think better. Thinking better is definitely a possible terrorist trait. Sheep don't smoke.