WASHINGTON - If you're someone that enjoys a relaxing cigar with friends now and then, you may soon be paying more for that pleasure than you ever imagined.
Starting in January 2014, health insurance providers will be authorized by the Affordable Care Act to charge smokers up to $5100 extra annually for their policies, nearly $100 each week. In order to avoid the penalizing cost, smokers will need to verify that they're attending a smoker cessation program. The definition of a "smoker" is not in the legislation, with no specified difference between those that smoke a cigar once a week or those that smoke 3 packs of Marlboros a day. The Associated Press writes:
The Affordable Care Act — “Obamacare” to its detractors — allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums starting Jan. 1, 2014.
For a 55-year-old smoker, the penalty could reach nearly $4,250 annually. A 60-year-old could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of premiums.
Younger smokers could be charged lower penalties under rules proposed in the fall by the Obama administration. Older smokers, though, could face a heavy hit on their household budgets at a time in life when smoking-related illnesses tend to emerge.
Workers covered on the job would be able to avoid tobacco penalties by joining smoking-cessation programs because employers' plans operate under different rules. But experts say that option is not guaranteed to smokers trying to purchase coverage individually.
Read more: http://triblive.com/usworld/nation/3358387-74/health-smokers-law#ixzz2Kca0QE2q
