Should people who smoke be eligible for Medicaid?

usmctanker242 said:
Might be sooner than you think considering they are talking about letting 16-17 years old vote in state and federal elections.

As for OP how about we just live and let live? People pay into Medicare so let them do as they choose. Most studies show that smokers and fat people require less healthcare over the span of their lives because they something like 20+ less years. You want Medicare prices to go down? Best thing is to start pushing people towards sugar, tobacco, and alcohol. Hell, it would likely decrease greenhouse gases since over the course of ~70 years the population would being to dwindle.
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I posted about Medicaid and not Medicare
 
I would fully support an increase in health insurance cost (and a decrease in medicare coverage for certain things) to those who partake in known self destructive to their health habits. Tobacco, hard drug usage, alcoholics, morbidly obese. Those penalties can be lessened or on pause if there is some approved plan to remedy the patient is partaking in and following (Following a diet plan and seeing weight loss, on a stop smoking plan, attending AA, etc.)
 
HockeyBjj said:
I would fully support an increase in health insurance cost (and a decrease in medicare coverage for certain things) to those who partake in known self destructive to their health habits. Tobacco, hard drug usage, alcoholics, morbidly obese. Those penalties can be lessened or on pause if there is some approved plan to remedy the patient is partaking in and following (Following a diet plan and seeing weight loss, on a stop smoking plan, attending AA, etc.)
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Dude, keeping track of these people's "habits" would cost more than just leaving the system alone. It's akin to drug testing welfare recipients. See Florida.
 
Prime Rib said:
Dude, keeping track of these people's "habits" would cost more than just leaving the system alone. It's akin to drug testing welfare recipients. See Florida.
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I here you on that. I wasn't talking details nor have I thought through tangible options for this to gauge it's feasibility.

If it would be too expensive, then it is very much like the drug testing for welfare. I like the idea of drug testing welfare recipients. A person on drugs should not be receiving free handouts, as those handouts should be used to help a person get back on their feet. A person crippling poor yet still finding the $$ for drugs, is not someone mentally capable at the time to get back on said feet and giving them resources is only going to enable them to stay down longer and a waste of those government tax dollars

But, government costs of drug testing end up being higher than the amount saved on the welfare, so you may as well just keep handing the stuff out even if it gets to some junkies due to cost effectiveness

I like the idea of a person having to pay more into the health insurance pool if they are engaging in activities that will increase the amount they take from that pool relative to others. Whether costs from that pool can be saved via this method is still something that needs to be studied before blindly implemented
 
Most of the price of a packet of cigarettes is tax. If somebody smokes long-term, they put way more into the pot than non-smokers do. Medicaid is just providing them with a rebate.
 
Or maybe, just an idea, crazy as it sounds and im hearing its been tried in some weird countries that are clearly communists because they are in Europe and other places.

How about place taxes on tobacco and use said taxes to fund healthcare for tobacco users? that way an individual may be less incentivized to buy tobacco (higher cost) and when his health fails his costs will be supported by young smokers everywhere.
 
Rod1 said:
Or maybe, just an idea, crazy as it sounds and im hearing its been tried in some weird countries that are clearly communists because they are in Europe and other places.

How about place taxes on tobacco and use said taxes to fund healthcare for tobacco users? that way an individual may be less incentivized to buy tobacco (higher cost) and when his health fails his costs will be supported by young smokers everywhere.
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California already does this
they recently added a $2 (yes, two whole dollars) per cigarette pack/dip tin to pay for all the smokers that are apparently on MediCal

which they should, b/c who smokes in our society? not rich people or even people that generally fund their own H/C
 
TS getting smashed in this thread.
 
leave the smokers alone, i say go after the hipster vapers
vaping-hipster.Shutterstock.jpg
 
HunterSdVa29 said:
California already does this
they recently added a $2 (yes, two whole dollars) per cigarette pack/dip tin to pay for all the smokers that are apparently on MediCal

which they should, b/c who smokes in our society? not rich people or even people that generally fund their own H/C
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I remember in '89 when I moved to Cali I was shocked that the price of a PACK was $2. I was 16 at the time so I guess they didn't card then. I came from N.C. though and we had cheap cigs.
 
I only started smoking in the Army b/c everyone was getting smoke breaks while I was stuck doing b/s details....

nah playa, I smoke too! - said like half the non smokers first day we found that out. Granted we also lived in Europe, where smoking is much much more pervasive than say here in SoCal
 
Prime Rib said:
I remember in '89 when I moved to Cali I was shocked that the price of a PACK was $2. I was 16 at the time so I guess they didn't card then. I came from N.C. though and we had cheap cigs.
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when I worked at Burger King in HS, right outside the Quantico MCB in Triangle, VA they still had a smoking section....

IN A FAST FOOD PLACE...

IN 2001...

VA and NC are starting to change (no smoking in bars in VA for years now) but ya they tried to hold on as the last bastions of smokers, which makes sense b/c most of the tobacco is grown there
 
Well, people that drink are generally not even allowed never the liver transplant lists....
 
HunterSdVa29 said:
when I worked at Burger King in HS, right outside the Quantico MCB in Triangle, VA they still had a smoking section....

IN A FAST FOOD PLACE...

IN 2001...

VA and NC are starting to change (no smoking in bars in VA for years now) but ya they tried to hold on as the last bastions of smokers, which makes sense b/c most of the tobacco is grown there
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We had a smoking patio at my HS in NC.
 
Gregolian said:
Well, people that drink are generally not even allowed never the liver transplant lists....
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They can get on the list but they have to strictly abstain from alcohol. Tested for intoxication all the time and must attend meetings.
 
Prime Rib said:
They can get on the list but they have to strictly abstain from alcohol. Tested for intoxication all the time and must attend meetings.
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It's just super hard is what I know.
 
They put sin tax on cigarettes for that very purpose. Smokers are among the only low wage income groups who pay extra for social services.
 
Gregolian said:
It's just super hard is what I know.
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Yeah, and if your drank you liver to death I doubt you go to the top of the list. Unless you have money, that is.
 
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