I’m related to someone that works in a hospital, and they are very familiar with the financial aspect of things there.
They were already losing money from the medicare/medicaid patients, and the government is going to cut back reimbursement even more. Being in a rural area, they honestly don’t know if they are going to be able to survive for much longer.
What you say is true. I work in a hospital and think it won’t be long before the smokers and obese are charged higher premiums for their health insurance. For a few years they’ve strongly encouraged the work force to join work supervised exercise programs. You weigh in, show a weight loss and get discounts on your health insurance premiums. Smoking on hospital property can cost you your job, and yes I mean even smoking in your own car in the parking lot.