DO you think insurance companies that pay for smoking cessation programs in full but not weight loss programs?

are discriminating. I think they are and want to know what others think. Overall those who are Obese/Overweight and Smokers have equally high health care costs. Please sound off I love that folks are talking and I am not offended by any of the answers. The information above is IMO and as one responder pointed out the some insurance companies offer DISCOUNTED plans for those who are overweight but FULL discounts for smokers. Want to know the stats for covering a smokers ill health-check http://www.truth.com if you want an unbiased opinion check the AMA website. I too believe that we should accept responsibility for our own answers but some folks weight can be attributed to parents who fed them the wrong foods as youth and caused them to gain additional fat cells (this is factual-ask a dietitian-any one) and is part of why there are so many overweight children across the world, not just america. The removal of and/or limited PE classes is just a fraction of the problem. Lets keep talking and keep the dialogue open and respectful as it has been. dan throwing in his insurance opinion was appreciated but i know there are other opinions out there. does everyone believe that smoking is purely a physical addiction void of emotion and mental considerations? I guess another way of looking at this is which has the better return result-that is will assisting someone with smoking decrease the cost of related expenses vs assisting someone with obesity.

Public Comments

  1. i think that they are as well.....weight issues are just as big as smoking issues.....maybe not cancer, but look at all the other related illness due to being overweight!
  2. I don't think that the obese and the smokers have equally high health care costs. I'd like to know your source for that information - I think the health care costs from the obese are drastically higher. Sure, insurance companies are free to pick and choose what they cover. They don't cover IVF or Cosmetic surgery - they're discriminating against the infertile and ugly, too. That's their RIGHT. If you go to some country with socialized medicine, where there's absolutely no discrimination - you'll find that there isn't ANY assistance or treatment provided for either smoking cessation OR weight loss. At some point in time, people just have to take responsibility for their own bad habits, and not squawk about someone else - the government, the insurance company, etc, doing it for them. There, you wanted a sound off. That's mine - if you're a grown up, do it yourself.
  3. I don't understand how this would be discrimination. Are minorities more likely to be obese than to smoke? I highly doubt race, gender or national origin went into this decision. For the insurance companies, it's a cost/benefit analysis. They have calculated that it costs less to prevent a customer from smoking than pay for the medical care associated with it. They have actuaries working on the math, calculating costs , savings, odds of success, and doing statistics. I'm sure they have the same for weight, but have probably determined that the cost/benefit analysis didn't work out. It either costs more, saves less, or has a lower chance of success. -->Adam
  4. They have probably found that weight loss programs don't work as well as smoking programs. The statistics for renewed weight gain after a diet are abysmal. But it would be nice for them, government and employers to be able to get after the fat factor. It is also killing people and ruining quality of life due to bone and joint issues, heart problems, breathing problems, back problems, and diabetes.
  5. Please cite your source when you make fact-sounding claims. I believe that insurance companies do consider the expected claims amount and the success rate of cessation/weight loss programs before they make the decision to sponsor one or the other. In fact, they are in the business of making that determination. To add to this (since it seems like a discussion, not a question), different companies allot discounts differently. This is solely based on their proprietary information. That means the public won't ever find out because it's a trade secret. With that in mind, most companies grade their premiums based on height/ weight ratio, and some companies grade their premiums based on the type and amount of tobacco usage. Of course this varies depending on the company and the type of risk that is being covered.
  6. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona covers both of these benefits equally. In addition to low co-pay counseling sessions, they offer discounts on several of the national weight loss programs advertised on T.V. The annual deductible is also waived, so as to encourage members to seek help. Obviously, it is in the insurors and the insureds best interest.
  7. I love when people say 'discrimination'. What they do, in fact, mean is "I have this (vice, condition, or preference) and someone won't give me something". Almost as common as "I know my rights". Just so we're clear: Discrimination- Treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice: racial discrimination; discrimination against foreigners. Insurance-the transfer of risk to a third-party. Risk-the hazard or CHANCE of loss. Insurance companies are in the business of taking on potentially large 'risks' (medical bills) in return for a small (by comparison) monetary stipend. The greater the risk (obesity, smoking) the greater the chance of loss. As such, they are under no obligation to be 'forced' to take and/or offer services to people that are extreme risks. Think about it. If you agreed to take $100 a month from your neighbors and in return, you would make all repairs to their houses, which would you rather choose, the well-kept, newer house or the old, dilapidated, unkempt house ? The insurance company performs a valuable service by taking the risk of YOUR hospitalization for a small monthly fee. It's not a risk if it's a certainty. Insurance companies make money for their shareholders by having a lower chance of claims. They are a BUSINESS, not a charity. People have lost sight of that and believe having someone else pay their bills (i.e. large hospital bills) as their 'right'. In fact, SMOKING is not a right. Your rights are "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Notice it says PURSUIT. Not guarantee. Nothing GIVEN. Something EARNED. And your pursuit of happiness is only if the first two rights of others are not jeopardized. Smoking kills others...but that's another discussion. I think when you look at what insurance companies are there for...to protect against the CHANCE of something happening (for which they turn over BILLIONS of dollars annually in claims), that it begins to make sense as to why they 'discriminate' (in your words). If everyone had health insurance since birth and didn't EVER go without, then we wouldn't have these problems. As far as smoking vs. obesity...only the insurance companies know for sure why they cover smoking-cessation vs. obesity. With smoking, it's more of an addiction-breaking. The health risks are very well-known and once your finally 'clean' for a period of time people don't go back to it. Obesity is an addiction as well, however, it is purely an emotional or mental addiction as opposed to the addition of a physical addiction with smoking. Once you break the 'physical' addiction with smoking, it is much easier to ignore the mental and emotional considerations. Once you break your smoking addiction, then typically the hard part is over. However, with obesity, once you stop exercising, or have that dessert with friends, you're starting down the same road again. Obesity can creep up on you as well. With smoking, you either are or you aren't. If you smoke one cigarette, you still 'smoke'. Overeating once, doesn't make you fat. So people are more likely to slip...but those slips add up. Method of delivery is different as well...there is no 'safe' amount of tobacco. There IS a safe amount of food. With obesity, there is the prospect of liposuction, lap belts, gastric bypass, etc. which could conceivably be part of an 'obesity program'. Any surgical procedure has other risks. There is also the problem of people 'going the other way', i.e. bulimia, anorexia which is a medical problem in itself. To answer your additional question, Yes, it is easier to treat and greater return on those that quit smoking...it is the number one controllable health risk. Obesity does cause other problems, but not to the extent that smoking does. I also believe that there are mental and emotional ties to smoking, as well as social ties. However, most of the 'urge' (and why it is so hard to quit) is from the physical addiction. Obesity DOES have a physical addiction as well...it is called 'hunger', but that can be controlled easier than smoking's addiction.
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