Smoking and insurance

My brother just found out that he and his co-workers will be charged a $150/month increase in their insurance premium if they smoke (and there will be random drug testing. They didn't say what other substances the test would include.) He doesn't smoke, so isn't adamantly against the increase, but he certainly would rather have had a premium reduction for NOT smoking.

Interesting they singled out smokers. Who is next?

PREGNANCY: How about charging women or married men more for insurance because they might become pregnant? Or for a risky pregnancy over 35? How about charging gay men less because none of them will (legally) have a spouse or children on their coverage? How about charging sterile men less because they will never have the stress of child support?

EXERCISE: How about charging people less if they exercise and eat right? I won't even get into the premiums possible for obese people ("random fat testing" would certainly be easy!)

SEX: Definitely charge people more for having unprotected sex, but where might the Christian right lobby steer that? It's more likely that people would justify higher premiums only for gay men because some of them allegedly practice "risky" behaviors.

ALCOHOL: I'm all against smoking and everything, but smoking is a long-term commitment and it seems that most die of "smoking-related illness" on Medicare. There are other worse and more immediately deleterious habits to die of when you are younger. How long before health insurance goes up for people with DUI's? That's an indicator of a pretty risky behavior. And should people in AA be charged less for quitting or more for being "at risk"?

HIGH RISK: I know a guy who was in a terrible skydiving accident who is now in a wheelchair. Millions in medical bills. I'm glad insurance helps with that, but he did knowingly take on a very risky hobby. What about car accidents? Health insurance certainly should be lower for someone who takes MARTA and doesn't own a car.

I think the insurance business just wants more money and smokers are the acceptable scapegoat du jour. If they could have made more money by just charging premiums to child molesters or Nazis; then the smokers could breathe easier.