Photo courtesy of Fox News
I guess Democrat and Republican members of Congress have found a way to reduce employer cost of maintaining health care for its employees.
The Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment that would allow employers to pass on some of the cost of health care, over to employees who live an “unhealthy lifestyle” such as being overweight or maintaining a smoking habit.
Apparently, our government seems to think that your choice in lifestyle is not a constitutional right.
From NewsMax.com
The Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment to the healthcare bill Wednesday that would allow employers to charge workers with unhealthy lifestyles more for their insurance coverage.
The amendment would permits employers to adjust premiums as much as 50 percent according to the level of workers’ health habits, up from 20 percent now.
“Weight gain and unhealthy lifestyles that focus on smoking and lack of exercise have skyrocketed our healthcare costs,” Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said in a statement cited by Politico news service.
Ensign, who sponsored the amendment along with and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said, “These costs could be lowered by focusing on what makes us healthy — through weight loss programs, smoking cessation and preventive care. Voluntary employee participation in these areas should naturally be reflected in lower healthcare costs.”
Opponents, including the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association, counter that the new rule may spur insurers and companies to keep basing coverage decisions on pre-existing conditions, even though the bill itself prohibits that.
A consortium of healthcare advocacy groups wrote in a letter: “While we appreciate the amendments’ intent to encourage healthy behaviors, we believe that allowing employers to vary premiums by up to 50 percent of the total cost of employee coverage could lead to discriminatory practices and make health coverage unaffordable for those who need it the most.”
Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican who is a doctor himself, says premium differences are important.
“Americans want simple, practical, affordable changes now. . . Changes that offer reductions in premiums for making healthy lifestyle choices,” he wrote in the Little Chicago Review.
Correction: Original post credited Democrats with passage of this amendment. However, as pointed out by a commenter, it was a bipartisan amendment and a bipartisan vote of 18-4. Article changed to reflect this error. H/T to PJ for correcting this oversight. As always, PIN welcomes any corrections or additional facts in this and any other story. If you’d like to get your views out there, why not write articles for us? Contact admin@politicalintegritynow.com
Another nice one Chet.
REPUBLICAN John Ensign sponsored the amendment. All the Republicans on the finance committee voted for it. The ONLY opposition to this amendment it was a block of Democratic Senators. So the headline should read – “Republican amendment to increase health care premiums for smokers and overweight people passes despite Democrats opposition”. I know – your readers and editors don’t read past the headline, so this is probably just an honest mistake on your part. Certainly not more of the “up is down” or “black is white” stuff that people have begun to expect from conservatives.
Great Idea! And while we’re at it, how about raising the health insurance rates for :bungie jumpers, race car drivers, Police men, Fire men, sky divers, football players, boxers, wresslers, skate boarders, surfers, rock climbers, long distance runners (all of the above put their health in peril on a regular basis. Why should I have to pay for their dangerous life choices?) Oh, and we should also require weekly breathalizer testing for alchahol consumption (very bad for the liver)!
I could go on…. and on….. and on. Where do we draw the line?
Barrack Obama is a racist & should never have became president and he’s such a lying bastard who needs to give president up to someone who can handle it.
First: To Kelley who posted above this one- Um , okay, nice sentiment, but why did you post it here on this thread? Just curious….
Secondly: I suppose it is my bias because I am neither overweight or a smoker and I am pretty darn healthy, but I think it is not such a horrific idea to require higher payments from those who do lead unhealthy lifestyles. It is not fair, to be sure, but it is just.
Also we should look at people who consume copious amounts of alcohol. Before you get upset, allow me to ask this question: Have you ever met anyone who has improved their life by having an alcoholic drink? There are some health benefits to men in drinking red wine, but in moderation, and surely this is not something I would push on other men. Like I said, there are health benefits, but it is not a cure-all or something an Olympic athlete would pursue.
I imagine my views paint me as some sort of “lifestyle Nazi”, but in my experience as a soldier, it was crucial that I and my men stayed fit, alert, and clear-headed. Being a junk food junkie, non-exerciser, smoker, or drunk didn’t help us accomplish these things.
If you can save money for being healthy, how can being healthy be considered a bad thing? And if you end up paying extra money for insurance because you pursue unhealthy lifestyle choices, voluntarily, then accept your lot and either change or shut up.