Obesity Tops Smoking in Health Spending – From Risk & Insurance – My Input
I always knew the obese were more costly than plain old smokers just from observation and work habits, and from Risk & Insurance June 2012 p. 6, we have this tidbit from the “News and Notes” section:
Obesity in America is now adding an astounding $190 billion to the annual national health care price tag, exceeding smoking as public enemy No. 1 when it comes to cost. Obese men rack up an additional $1,152 a year in medical spending, especially for hospitalization and prescription drugs, John Cawley and Chad Meyerhoefer of LeHigh University reported in the Journal of Health Economics (Ed: who knew there was such a publication). Obese women account for an extra $3,613 a year. The researchers found even higher costs among the uninsured: annual medical spending for an obese person was $3,271 compared with $512 for the nonobese.
I, being singled out for being a smoker, and being charged more by insurers for being one, want the playing field leveled for all high risk people. This means the homosexuals and the obese. There is no reason “aggrieved minorities” should get a pass on the price of health insurance This would be like only paying stock dividends to people deemed “not to have too much money”. If they are morbidly obese, they ate their way there. If they are a homosexual with AIDs, they sucked/fucked their way there. They deserve to pay financially for their actions. It should not be subsidized by smokers.
