I am a 61-year-old healthy physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. I have seen firsthand the effects of cigarette smoking and to a lesser extent cigar smoking/snuff. I am fortunate to have good genes. My family on both sides have lived into their late 80’s to 101 years old. I exercise, I eat well, I take care of myself.
With the appointment of RFK, Jr. (not yet confirmed), health is in the news. We have known about the harm of cigarette smoking and tobacco use for at least 65 years, so why are we still paying for healthcare resulting from its use?
Next year my solo Anthem health insurance policy will increase 10.7% to $1498/month. Almost $18,000/year. Private health insurance costs have skyrocketed since Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act (ACA)) was formed about 10 years ago, in part due to funding Obamacare, paying for continued diseases and equally if not, more excessive premium increases being requested and granted to the insurance companies, who continue to rake in record profits. United Health Group had a $30 stock price in 2010. Its share price at the close of today (11/18/2024) is $590. It hit an all-time high of $631 on 11/11/2024. It is a Dow component.
I have no problem with my combining my premiums with other healthy being people who try to take care of themselves, yet unfortunately may be afflicted with diseases like multiple sclerosis, some cancers, spinal cord injuries, head injuries, strokes, etc., not due to outward volitional choices. If people choose to smoke and use tobacco products and tobacco companies continue to exist and make these harmful products, that is their right, but they do not have the right for healthy people to pay for the consequences of their actions through shared premium pools. Put them in their own insurance pools and charge them higher premiums. That will be enough of a deterrent for some people to quit. The high probability of illness and with prolonged use death should be enough of a deterrent to cut down and quit, regardless of complaints about the addictive tendencies of tobacco.
I also think that people on state and federally funded programs like Medicaid should also not be permitted to smoke if they are to continue to be insured, especially people in nursing homes. It is ludicrous to see nursing homes that permit smoke breaks where the residents swarm outside like locusts to smoke, regardless of impending nuclear holocausts, tornados, etc. (I am being facetious, but you get the point). We need to stop funding the propagation of diseases.
Think of the quadrillions, not just trillions of monies saved from reducing smoking and secondary to smoking illness in the form of reduced healthcare spending and the subsequent and necessary premium reductions for everyone.