Wal-Mart employee “can’t afford” $15/week for health insurance, but can afford cigarettes

wordpress ^ | November 12, 2012 | Dan from Squirrel Hill

[grundle]

Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog

Wal-Mart employee says he “can’t afford” $15 a week for health insurance, but has no trouble paying for cigarettes

CBNC reports:

Wal-Mart Stores’ U.S. employees will pay between 8 percent and 36 percent more in premiums for its medical coverage in 2013, prompting some of the 1.4 million workers at the nation’s largest private employer to say they will forego coverage altogether.

“I really can’t even afford it now, so for it to go up even a dollar for me is a stretch,” said Colby Harris, who said he makes $8.90 per hour and takes home less than $20,000 per year working in the Walmart store’s produce department in Lancaster, Texas.

Harris, a 22-year-old smoker, was set to see his cost per paycheck rise to $29.60 from $25.40. He says he has decided not to sign up for coverage.

The same article also refers to Wal-Mart’s “two-week pay period.” So this guy is saying that he “can’t afford” to pay $15 per week for health insurance, and yet he somehow manages to pay for his cigarettes.

I wonder how much he spends on cigarettes each week. The article doesn’t say – but I’m guessing it’s more than $15.

[occamrzr06]

Wait, let me get a smoke.

Ahhh, ok, let’s ban Wal-Mart employees from smoking!

[bgill]

Priorities. It’s all about MEEEEE! How many kids does he have and can’t be bothered to buy some diapers for?

[Secret Agent Man]

Well, if he smokes 2-3 packs a week, depending on the brand, he’s paying at least $15 a week in ciggies.

[Kartographer]

Man you have to have your priorities! Have you ever tried to smoke health insurance? Even with a charcoal fliter its all one can do to stand it for more than a couple drags!

[Red_Devil 232]

My wife works for Walmart, asst. Manager, and our healthcare and dental insurance costs have been rising every year. It seems that when she gets a raise the healthcare/dental increase costs eat up the raise. I wonder how long before Walmart will continue to offer insurance?

[Sybeck1]

My sister’s brother in law couldn’t afford baby formula but could get his cigs.

[Nachum]

Gotta have another cigarette!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8RAQla6tv8

[knarf]

addiction sucks

[linn37]

He’s 22 . Why pay for it now when he can wait.

[SkyDancer]

Average ciggie smoker does a pack to a pack and a half a day. Basic monthly would be somewhere around $270 a month depending where you live. ($7 avg. per pack at 40 packs per month) - just a guess. What’s a carton go for in the states now?

[WKB]

How will he pay his Obamacare fine for not having insurance?

[Drew68]

Harris, a 22-year-old smoker, was set to see his cost per paycheck rise to $29.60 from $25.40. He says he has decided not to sign up for coverage.

Good for him. Why should he be forced to buy something that it is unlikely he'll use. Healthy, 22-year old males don't go see doctors unless they get hurt. They don't go for checkups. They don't go if they got a case of the sniffles. I didn't see a doctor one single time throughout my late teens, 20s and early 30s. Not once.

Of course, healthcare and specifically Obamacare are dependent upon healthy, 20 and 30-something males paying for insurance they won't use.

Let him smoke. He's contributing significantly to other people's health care costs through the exorbitant taxes he's paying for cigarettes.

[jeffc]

Well, I'm not going to judge the guy. He's young. When I was 22, I didn't care if I had health insurance or not. 22 year old's are very healthy. He probably believes he doesn't need it. I never got sick, nor participated in extreme sports where I might get injured enough to require serious medical attention.

But then, when I was 22, a healthcare package was part of every job, I just never used it. If I had had to pay for it then, I probably would have done without it, too. Such it is when you're young.

[Secret Agent Man]

that’s what I meant by prices vary by brand and how you buy (pack vs carton).

I think with some brands, you can get a carton (10 packs?) for $55. But I know other popular brands are more than that. Not a smoker, but I sometimes look around the checkout areas when I shop for groceries. I see those prices per pack or by the carton and am glad smoking actually makes me physically sick.

[Secret Agent Man]

Of course nobody will want to sell him insurance when he finally does develop a sickness and find it’s cancer. If he goes on the public dole healthcare then he’s sucking off all of us and he’ll easily use more than he’s ever contributed via cig taxes. Besides those taxes aren’t paying for anything medical. They go into the general fund.

[Mears]

Price depends on the state.

About #85.00 per carton in MA.

‘

[O6ret]

I don’t care if he smokes.

But smokers should be paying several times the ‘standard’ health insurance rate simply based on the fact that smokers are not as healthy as non-smokers.

[bigbob]

since the gummint doesn’t discriminate against other vices, shouldn’t we be paying for his cigs? /sarc

[lonestar]

It’s his money! I see obese people riding carts at the grocery store too fat to walk, buying junk food with OUR money! Obesity is probably more costly that smokers because they have all kinds of problems due to weight...diabetis being just one.