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Many Americans Back Higher Costs For People With Unhealthy Lifestyles
Wall Street Journal ^ | July 19, 2006 | WSJ ONLINE/HARRIS INTERACTIVE HEALTH-CARE POLL

Posted on 07/20/2006 4:35:25 AM PDT by rdax

A new WSJ.com/Harris health-care poll indicates growing U.S. support for charging higher insurance premiums or out-of-pockets medical costs to people with unhealthy lifestyles.

The online survey of 2,325 U.S. adults found that 53% of Americans think it is fair to ask people with unhealthy lifestyles to pay higher insurance premiums than people with healthy lifestyles, while 32% said it would be unfair. When asked the same question in 2003, 37% said it would be fair, while 45% said it would be unfair. Healthy lifestyles were described as not smoking, exercising frequently and controlling one's weight.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: addiction; costs; govwatch; health; lifestyle; nannystate; taxes
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To: Mr. Brightside
Oh...let me get this straight. It's in the budget to pay for the healthcare but it's not in the budget if a person declines healthcare to give the money directly to them. I think you need to take an accounting class. It's called just move $XX from one column to another. Sheesh!

Using your logic that smokers should pay more for their "unhealty lifestyle" then people with children should pay for use of childcare. I have no children, why should I pay for that?

181 posted on 07/20/2006 11:01:04 AM PDT by 2nd amendment mama ( www.2asisters.org • Self defense is a basic human right!)
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To: rdax
Gay men have one of the most dangerous "unhealthy" lifestyles in the United States.

And yeah, it's fine with me if liberals want to charge them more for their insurance ...

And while they're at it they can charge Gays more for their Social Security too. "Disability" payments for the AIDS infected isn't cheap.

Or are the liberals talking about people who use white sugar and live to be a hundred?

182 posted on 07/20/2006 11:01:39 AM PDT by GOPJ ("...we're in the third world war, which side do you think should win?" -- Newt Gingrich)
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To: 2nd amendment mama

Ding! Ding! Give me back any taxes taken from me that did not benefit me. Thank You!


183 posted on 07/20/2006 11:03:57 AM PDT by eyedigress
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To: Mr. Brightside
Many insurance agencies already do these things. I know my health insurance charges more for people who smoke. I also get a deep discount on my car insurance for being a safe driver, wearing my safety belt, have a vehicle with airbags, etc.

I hate bringing illegals to this, but if you (not you Mr. Brightside) really want to make a difference in premiums, stop charging me and every other LEGAL citizen of this country for the sh!t that illegals do. After that, let the consumer 'shop' for the best insurance for them.

184 posted on 07/20/2006 11:06:28 AM PDT by rintense
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To: Mr. Brightside
I understand your points...

But it's a big can of worms...

Besides that your questions won't deliver the results you are wanting.....

Then what?

185 posted on 07/20/2006 11:07:12 AM PDT by Osage Orange (We don't want no stinking badges................)
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To: 2nd amendment mama
It's in the budget to pay for the healthcare but it's not in the budget if a person declines healthcare to give the money directly to them.

Exactly.

186 posted on 07/20/2006 11:08:51 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside
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To: rdax

A free-range chicken in every pot, and an exercise bike in every parlor...


187 posted on 07/20/2006 11:11:15 AM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: Gabz

Mr. bright will like this and so will all the nanny staters.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003139177_healthsurvey20m.html


188 posted on 07/20/2006 11:12:19 AM PDT by bfree (Liberalism-the yellow meat,)
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To: coconutt2000

Discounts???

What about just visiting a doctor when you're sick instead of wearing out his waiting room everytime a new disease hits the headlines?


189 posted on 07/20/2006 11:13:08 AM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: rdax

Not all gay men climb skydivers.


190 posted on 07/20/2006 11:13:41 AM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: Mr. Brightside

Kindly explain or is it that you're just being greedy? The example I gave wouldn't cost you 1¢ more either way. The person "paying" for it is the employee if you won't reimburse the savings to the person not taking the benefit.


191 posted on 07/20/2006 11:15:35 AM PDT by 2nd amendment mama ( www.2asisters.org • Self defense is a basic human right!)
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To: GOPJ

I hear there's a lot of steroid abuse that goes on in gyms and "health clubs". Maybe we need a tax on them to cover the health care costs associated with that.


192 posted on 07/20/2006 11:15:54 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: sauropod
This guy?


193 posted on 07/20/2006 11:18:07 AM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: Lucky Dog

"On the other hand, 80 percent of all lung cancer can be traced to smoking exposure"

You're speaking of primary lung cancer, not all lung cancer.


194 posted on 07/20/2006 11:20:12 AM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: Mr. Brightside; 2nd amendment mama

That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

If I have $100 budgeted for X, and for some reason it doesn't get spent on X, it is then available for the budget of Y. Still the same $100, just allocated to a different budget column.


195 posted on 07/20/2006 11:20:17 AM PDT by Gabz (Taxaholism, the disease you elect to have (TY xcamel))
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To: absolootezer0; rdax; Ptaz; jammer; Enterprise; Hillarys Gate Cult; LK44-40; CharacterCounts; ...
Gay men have one of the most dangerous "unhealthy" lifestyles in the United States.

And yeah, it's fine with me if liberals want to charge them more for their insurance ...

And while they're at it they can charge gay men more for their Social Security too. Disability payments for the AIDS infected isn't cheap.

Then there's the folks who don't pay their hospital bills and my insurance has to cover for them ... make everyone pay their own bills and that'll lower insurance costs.

Criminals? It's a dangerous business - not only can some homehowner shoot and injure a crimianl, but lots of them are drug addicted. They should pay more too.

If liberals really think the biggest problem is someone eating sugar and white bread, we need to raise their insurance rates -- stupid people have more health problems than smart people... or maybe, just maybe we can share each other burdens...

196 posted on 07/20/2006 11:22:55 AM PDT by GOPJ (Being gay is an unhealthy lifestyle - worse than eating sugar and white bread...)
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To: bfree

Such people would be greeted with a door slammed in their face if they showed up at my house. I'd greet them with a double-barrel, but that would probably be listed as "unhealthy".......these people are utterly nuts.


197 posted on 07/20/2006 11:26:01 AM PDT by Gabz (Taxaholism, the disease you elect to have (TY xcamel))
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To: tacticalogic
I hear there's a lot of steroid abuse that goes on in gyms and "health clubs". Maybe we need a tax on them to cover the health care costs associated with that.

And steroids can make a person nutty - insurance to cover counseling for psychotic episodes can be verrrrry costly. Those "health club" folks are on my list... raise their rates.

198 posted on 07/20/2006 11:27:26 AM PDT by GOPJ (Being gay is an unhealthy lifestyle - worse than eating sugar and white bread...)
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To: GOPJ

Maybe I should be more interested in "sharing" Mr Brightsides "burden", but I'm having a hard time empathizing with a health club owner. I've got one of the greatest pieces of exercise equipment ever devised by man, and anyone else can have one for about $40 by simply walking into any good hardware store and asking for a "two-handled post hole digger".


199 posted on 07/20/2006 11:29:06 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: Old Professer

Sorry, I was not specific...


200 posted on 07/20/2006 11:36:52 AM PDT by Lucky Dog
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