Obamacare: Punishing Smokers and the Obese With Much Higher Premiums

Obamacare was supposed to be about providing “affordable” health insurance for all. But now, smokers and the obese may face penalties, perhaps even as high as 50%!  From the story:

Despite opposition from more than 50 health groups, the Finance Committee approved an amendment Wednesday allowing employers to increase premiums by up to 50 percent for people who engage in unhealthy behaviors. That means smokers, obese individuals and others may face higher premiums if they do not participate in wellness programs.

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) described their amendment as a common-sense measure aimed at providing a financial incentive for people to change unhealthy behaviors. But opponents – which included four Democratic senators and groups such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the AFL-CIO – said it allows insurers and self-insured businesses to continue to base coverage decisions on pre-existing conditions, which the underlying bill would prohibit.

Note that so-called conservatives support this penalty, which goes to show that the desire to control isn’t limited to the Left.  More to the point, if we want to deter “unhealthy lifestyles,” we should also penalize people with multiple sexual partners, as the health care costs associated with promiscuity is also significant—and comes much faster than it does for smoking or over eating. But that won’t happen because sexual openness is culturally embraced, while the fat and the those who smell of tobacco are politically incorrect.

Also pay attention to this: Nationalized health care equals increasing government control over personal behavior. In the end, everything we do affects health care costs in some way, meaning that almost everything we do could one day become the subject of bureaucratic management.