Quote:
Originally Posted by AmeliaG
I usually avoid all remotely political conversations on industry boards, but can someone explain to me how the taxpayers are covering the costs of smoking?
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Most smokers don't die before 65. When one turns 65 in the US they get medicare. Medicare is paid for by the taxpayers. When you work 1.45% of your paycheck goes to give medicare to some old person. Your employer also pays an equal amount. Up until now the amount of money that comes in from medicare taxes has been enough to pay for all the costs. Not anymore. Costs are going up. Part of the reason is because people that have smoked and now need expensive treatments. Well benefits aren't going to get cut because that's political suicide, so the only solution is to increase the medicare taxes that come out of the paychecks of those that work.
Also although insurance companies charge higher premiums to smokers that doesn't compensate for all the extra expense smoking has. So the rest of the cost is paid for by the non-smokers.
Once again I don't see the logic of smoking being a "right" yet I, a non-smoker, am required to pay for a smoker's smoking related medical bills.
Look at it this way if you pay $1 per pack in "sin tax" and you smoke 2 packs a day over 40 years that $29k in taxes you paid. Getting treatment for lung cancer or heart surgery is going to cost A LOT more than that. A smoker is still getting off light. And everyone else is footing the bill.
Anyways this is getting off-topic.