Should employers be allowed to raise insurance rates for smokers or

Unless the plans include a lot of help for people to quit smoking or lose weight, this doesn't sound fair. The thought of charging someone a high premium because of their cholesterol also sounds unfair. I know people who have high cholesterol but are very fit. Once again, companies and the insurance industry do this because they can. New York Times:

But some benefits specialists and health experts say programs billed as incentives for wellness, by offering discounted health insurance, can become punitive for people who suffer from health problems that are not completely under their control. Nicotine addiction, for example, may impede smokers from quitting, and severe obesity may not be easily overcome.

Earlier this year, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association were among groups that warned federal officials about giving companies too much latitude. They argued in a letter sent in March that the leeway afforded employers could provide ?a back door? to policies that discriminate against unhealthy workers.

Kristin M. Madison, a professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, said, ?People are definitely worried that programs will be used to drive away employees or potential employees who are unhealthy.?

Source: http://www.americablog.com/2011/11/should-employers-be-allowed-to-raise.html

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