Health Insurers Target Smokers. Dateline: East Coast.
Summary: Employers offer a high-deductible insurance plan through UnitedHealth, such as a policy that requires single workers to pay their first $2,500 in annual health costs before insurance kicks in; families, $5,000. Workers who want to lower their annual deductible can volunteer to have blood tests and other evaluations once a year to see if they smoke and if they meet target goals for blood pressure, cholesterol and height/weight ratio. For each of the four goals they meet, workers would qualify for a $500 credit as individuals or $1,000 as families toward the deductible. If they qualify for all four — and UnitedHealthcare estimates that few will initially meet all four — their annual deductible would fall to $500 for individuals or $1,000 for families.
Proposal to ban all public smoking. Dateline: El Cajon, CA.
Summary: The city is considering a ban on smoking in any public area where a non-smoker could be exposed to second hand smoke – including bar terraces, open gathering spots, and even on public streets.
It just never ends….it’s almost like a contest to see who can gain the most “public” acceptance. Amazing.
