It's happening-Health insur surcharges for the overweight

And, if everyone is covered and not still having some need to use emergency rooms for medical services.

Actually, some are seem to really miss the concept of inaurances: it's not a piggy bank!

Sure it's to everyone's benefit, but only if everyone's premiums are lowered.
[/quote]The vast majority of our mandatory insurers will give money back this year - mine for second time in row.

Yes and no.
I know a person who lives a healthy life. But she has had new hips, new knees and other operations.
Another person in the same street is a smoker and never goes to the doctor.
There are always exceptions. Both are between 70 and 75.
I know a smoker and a non smoker. Both have fallen down from a ladder and fell so badly that they now over years have suffered from tremendous pain.
Should there be extra insurance for climbing a ladder?
I know people who like to grill and no accidents happens and others get terribly burnt because they cannot handle the fire.
Should there be extra insurance for grilling?
Everyone points to the fat - how about the women with anorexia? They certainly do no live a healthy life. Why should they not pay more.
I better stop before the list gets too long.

Who really cost the health insurance money are the healthy living people.
They live longer and the longer we live the more illness we get and the more we cost.

No - but in a case like this - I think it proves there should be extra insurance for the stupid.

That's why we have got the accident insurance ... with an additional private insurance 100% is covered.

Accident insurance often stop here at the age of 65.
Guess the insurance companies think that one has reached an age when no accidents happens. Of course you can get it prolonged but not at every company.

We've got the mandatory since 1884 - for many situations, however, it's better to have an additional private one.
When you are older than 60, you pay higher fees - not because (relatively) more accidents happen in this age group but because e.g. it takes longer to heal, accidents are more serious ...

Insurance risk is determined using statistics, over a large sample. Individual experiences are not relevant. Increased risk resulting from unhealthy choices should cost more. Read up on what an actuary does.

QUOTE - You're missing the basic concept of risk. Higher risk raises insurance costs. This has always been the case and has nothing to do with Obama care.

True.
The risk is going up and the premiums are going up — unless you get the subsidy.

The premiums go up for those as well, it's just that it is paid as a subsidy. (We've got that since 130 years now.)

The issue here is of course the word and meaning of "choice". Gay men do not choose to be gay, and therefore their health premiums should not be higher than straight males, assuming all other factors are constant because of their homosexuality.

What about smokers? Do all smokers choose to smoke or is smoking somehow determined by one's ethnicity and thus one's genetic ( DNA),
makeup, thereby determining one's addiction potential?

The same can be said about alcohol consumption. Should the premium take into account, whether one's ethnicity plays a role in whether one will become an alcoholic?

What about women and breast cancer? No woman chooses to have breast cancer. However, many American women do choose to use oral contraceptives, which are chemicals known to promote cancer. Should American women, because of their choice of a specific form of birth control now have to pay a higher health insurance premium?

Should married adults face higher premiums if 50% of their children suffer from serious and costly genetic diseases and theses adults insist on avoiding the use of any form of birth control?

And so on...

There is a clear line. If it says it may kill you on the package, don't do it.

I like this idea. Insurance companies cannot charge more for your risky behaviors/habits/conditions, but if you got a I-always-take-the-stairs discount that would be a way for people to save money. I imagine consumers would have to prove worthiness of the discounts, but if you like to save money it could be a way to go.