Re: MSNBC: Health reform idea: Put down the doughnut

The Grumpster <uncle.grumpy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Joe <joe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 2009-08-12, The Grumpster <uncle.grumpy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Joe <joe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 2009-08-12, Tom S. <tmswork@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Don Klipstein wrote:
In article <MPG.24eb92486aa3b423989692@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Coffee's For Closers wrote in part:

<SNIP to here to edit for space>

Other people poor heath habits result in me being extorted to pay
their medical bills, through a socialist medical system. Their
behaviour leads to my consequences.

This happens to me through the private health insurance system.

Your rate depends on several factors, just as your driving record,
compared to other drivers, determined your premiums for car insurance.

And
some of my taxes are used to buy private health insurance for government
employees who don't get charged more for private health insurance if they
smoke or are overweight.

They don't?

Tell your medical insurer that you smoke, are overweight, drink
excessively and see what they say.

You don't think your medical insurer already knows? They get reports
from your doctor...

Most medical insurance is employer "provided", and most of those
programs have no difference in cost from employee to employee. The
amounts are listed in the employee handbooks, and are in effect for
everyone in the company.

It is quite common for non-smokers to pay less: in my case, it would
have amounted to about 10% less. There is no test to keep the insured
from lying, but I'd bet that the insurer has legal recourse if the
insured is caught in the lie (however that might happen).

That's actually quite uncommon in group plans. At least in NY. I've
never had a medical plan that asked *ANY* questions before signing you
up, or had any plan rates other than the standard. It's kinda the
point of group coverage. Risk is spread amongst the group.

Last time I checked, there are 49 other states. In Illinois, with
United Health Care as our company's provider covering 35,000 employees
nationwide, we could sign paperwork saying we were not smokers when
applying for insurance coverage. It was an option.

More...

Looks like NY might be in the minority when it comes to non-smoker
discounts:

http://www.google.com/search?q=group+insurance+non-smoker+discount&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS284US284

And here's an excerpt from an article showing that the tobacco
industry was trying to fight such discounts:

"Aware that cigarette smokers incur more health expenses than
non-smokers, the American insurance industry started offering lower
premium rates for non-smokers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The
tobacco industry interpreted this as creating "smoker markups." Lower
insurance rates for non-smokers stimulated employers to encourage
smoking employees to quit, provide smoking cessation clinics for
employees, etc. Awareness increased among employers of the extra costs
incurred when hiring smokers. The tobacco industry, then, perceived
lower insurance rates for non-smokers as a threat to their
profitability and began a war against the insurance industry."

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: MSNBC: Health reform idea: Put down the doughnut
    ... This happens to me through the private health insurance system. ... It is quite common for non-smokers to pay less: ... United Health Care as our company's provider covering 35,000 employees ... the American insurance industry started offering lower ...
    (alt.smokers.cigars)
  • Re: MSNBC: Health reform idea: Put down the doughnut
    ... This happens to me through the private health insurance system. ... It is quite common for non-smokers to pay less: ... United Health Care as our company's provider covering 35,000 employees ... the American insurance industry started offering lower ...
    (alt.smokers.cigars)
  • Re: I Have Seen The Light.... I Am Now A Republican
    ... For those of us who purchase our own insurance, ... Then came Medicaid and Medicare, ... On top of that, were also already paying taxes to finance the employer contributions to healthcare premiums of federal, state, county, and municipal employees (*and* the profits earned by the health insurance providers of those employees). ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: Why is number without health insurance increasing?
    ... In other words, in order for the insurance companies to get the contract on such a large group of people, they have to discount the plans to the companies. ... Their employees get discounts on numerous things, for which others that are not employees of those companies pay extra for....which subsidizes the highly paid employees of those large companies. ... A third of firms in the U.S. did not offer coverage in 2004. ... * Rapidly rising health insurance premiums is the main reason ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: OT universal health care
    ... reward their employees and keep them happy and productive. ... could replace it with some cheaper HMO plan now? ... Because dropping coverage entirely is often cheaper than continuing it. ... I live in MASS, Dutch, We HAVE 'Mandatory insurance' and that's EXACTLY what ...
    (rec.gambling.poker)
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