Healthcare Question: Lifestyle Choices

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=223799 Edited October 18, 2009 by Lone Ranger

[GabiandVi 34]

I think if we are going to charge people more then it should be based on how much they use their insurance rather than how much they MIGHT use their insurance. That seems more fair to me. If they smoke and they use the insurance more and it can be even remotely related to their smoking, then charge them more. If they smoke and they don't use the insurance more, why should the pay for the people who are hypochondriacs or otherwise sickly.

I'm not saying that I think it is fair to charge sick people more for healthcare, but to charge people who may or may not end up making more demands on insurance doesn't seem fair to me. The people in my last school who made the highest demands on our insurance (which was excellent and cost us very little out of pocket) so that the premiums were rising to the point that our school was planning to pass on the costs to us were not smokers or fat or alcohol abusers. They were primarily people who came from countries with universal health plans and who just seemed to either be more sickly, or who imagined themselves more sickly.

As for the people who abuse alcohol, etc., that's a different thing. But how would an insurance company know that? I mean, if you abuse alcohol, you are often in denial about it.

[Ban Hammer 13,348]

tax them all, it's the liberal way!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I don't think it will be particularly easy to enforce in relation to healthcare.

The best bet to stop people smoking, drinking etc is to tax booze and cigarettes (which is what happens already).

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Apply a tax on tobacco, fast foods, etc. Insurance premiums should be based on community rating.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Apply a tax on tobacco, fast foods, etc. Insurance premiums should be based on community rating.

How about sporting events and bath houses? Tax then as well?

Edited October 19, 2009 by Lone Ranger

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Apply a tax on tobacco, fast foods, etc. Insurance premiums should be based on community rating.

How about sporting events and bath houses? Tax then as well?

What's the problem with sporting events?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Apply a tax on tobacco, fast foods, etc. Insurance premiums should be based on community rating.

How about sporting events and bath houses? Tax then as well?

What's the problem with sporting events?

The fans.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Tax the ####### outta them!

[*JG* 2]

What about the obese? The people who don't eat right? Those who drive too fast? Stressful jobs? Hunters?

Seriously, how would you inforce this? And who lives such a perfect life that they don't do something bad or potentially bad for themselves?

[Danno 1,228]

What about the obese? The people who don't eat right? Those who drive too fast? Stressful jobs? Hunters?

Seriously, how would you inforce this? And who lives such a perfect life that they don't do something bad or potentially bad for themselves?

You enforce it by first charging more for "unpopular" activities, once the concept is embedded, you can expand the logic to include nearly anything.

It is the certain destination when on the "collectivism hi-way".