Why is it that peope who engage in highrisk behaviors are allowed to be on the same health insurance plans as?

Question

as the people who are low risk? People who smoke drive up the costs of everybody's health care expenses! Maybe smokers should be covered on separate policies or be covered at higher rates than the rest of us who do not smoke. And how about people who damage their livers from drinking too much? Why are they allowed to be covered on our insurance plans? Maybe we shouldn't require insurance companies or govt. to pay for "self-induced" conditions resulting from the voluntary abuse of the body such as drug use, smoking, drinking, etc. Do you want YOUR money used to pay for those sorts of expenses?

Good point happygogilmore. It's just a fact that some risks can be controlled while others cannot. Where do we draw the line? First the pro-lifers refused to cover contraceptives & abortions because it clashed w/their beliefs. Why can't non-smokers take a stand on covering smokers? Everyone knows cigarettes are the number one killer.

note for diegobass: abortions are 9 times safer than giving birth to a term baby so that's obviously a moral issue and not a safety issue. All I'm saying about health insurance plans is that the high-risk people should be covered on separate plans than the lower risk people.

Answer 1

Believe it or not, there is at least one group that has pooled it's resources to do this. They aren't a genuine insurance company, but members do send in monthly amounts to help with keeping it going as well as contributions to help some who are going through Cancer, surgeries, etc. It is a more personal service, and I've read testimonials of people who were supported both in finances and compassion. Sounded interesting, I just never had the money for that or for insurance. And for what it's worth, I strongly disagree that we each have some inherent "right" to being insured, and yes, I suffer severe medical problems. I don't expect my Government to automatically insure all of us who can't afford it. The entire medical care industry in this nation is going to self-destruct because of how it's set up-it's just a matter of time. I have learned to be pro-active with my own health care, done the research, and treated some severe "untreatable" (with mainstream medicine) conditions with fabulous results. When you are motivated, it is amazing to discover the research done in Europe and other countries on plant and other matter in it's whole form. You get the science with no side-effects and no AMA or drug companies to patent/regulate/price it out of reach.

Answer 2

NO, the pro lifers as a rule don't generally care about contraceptives (only the hard-core religious ones do that) being covered - in fact yes they would PREFER preventative methods be available BUT you are right, they don't want people using abortions as a contraceptive method, and rightly so.

Abortion causes many complications, both physical and psychological. There's good reasons that they should not be covered on insurance plans.

As for your other points, why do you think most sensible plans ask if you smoke or drink or not. And what about people in high-risk careers? You know health plans are to spread the risk and cost around to make everyone able to have coverage. Of course there are those who will rarely or never need coverage and those who will be using it left & right. That's the way the world is. Who said the world is fair, anyway?

Answer 3

do you consider driving a high risk behavior? I can't tell you how many people come to the hospital every single day for car accidents, many of them very serious but lots of them very minor but need to be seen.
not only that, you can get sick at any time, sudden abdominal pain can be appendicitis or a gall bladder or bowel obstruction and you need to surgery that keeps you in the hospital for days; chest pain that could be pleursy or a MI; high fever and vomiting that could be a viral infection or meningitis...all of these have nothing to do with low or high risk. everyone can get sick at almost any time.
and how would you decide who is "high risk"? are people who abuse drugs or who are obese high risk? 6 out of 10 people are considered overweight or obese. would it be if you have been previously diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure....? it would come to a point where the insurance company would find a reason to make almost everyone a high risk.
just be glad you have health insurance and you can go to your doctor and they pay for sick visits, and when you have a hospital visit they cover it!

Answer 4

I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE PAYING A HIGHER PREMIUM FOR THEIR HIGH RISK FACTOR OR THAT THEY ARE NOT COVERED FOR THAT RISK FACTOR, OR THEY HAVE A 1 OR 2 YEAR WAITING PERIOD BEFORE THEY ARE COVERED BY THEIR INSURANCE CARRIER.

PLUS ! EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO BE COVERED BY AN MEDICAL INSURANCE PLAN. IT IS THE LAW.

Answer 5

I don't want you on my insurance policy if you live in an area with pollution higher than mine. What are the mercury and arsenic levels where you live? If they're higher than where I live I don't want you on my policy. Where do we draw the line?

Answer 6

We are only human! I do neither of the things you mentioned but I know humans aren't perfect.