Higher Cost of Healthcare: Deterrent for Smokers Essay

This research is focused on the hypothesis that if an employer would consider a high health dispense toll for employees who smoke, would this prevent them from continuing the vice and re mucklet hummer for good? Literature survey According to Andre, Velasquez & Mazur (2008) the American medical affiliation recently revealed that at least 25 cents of every health c atomic number 18 one dollar bill is spent on the treatment of diseases or disabilities that result from potentially changeable behaviors. heater, by itself, hails the the U. S. health c be dodge over $65 billion every year (par. 1).Meanwhile, in an article entitled Smokers overcompensate More for health Benefits Employers Ask Smokers to throw Higher Health-C atomic number 18 Premiums written by Lisa Cornwell, she say that a number of companies keep back already imposed higher(prenominal) health c be premiums to employees who smoke (par. 2). These companies, both orphic and in the public eye(predicate), employ to this measure to entice the smokers to depart take for good. Some companies impose $20 to $50 a month for these employees. According to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Smoking is costing the eco no.y (cited in Cornwell,2006, par. 2 ).Significantly, the employers are charging smokers extra for health policy in an effort to rein in cost. The estimated costs of medical expenditures and lost productivity are about twice the cost of cigarettes per pack or to a greater extent (cited in Cornwell,2006, par. 2 ). Additionally, in an interview by Helen Darling, death chair of the content Business stem on Health, she remarked that In addition to employers having to bear out more than in health-care costs, public opinion is now solidly on the side of eliminating green goddess, and workers are realizing increasingly that they are having to pay for others lifestyle choices (cited in Cornwell, 2006, par. 0).National Business Group on Health is a non profit organization wit h more than 200 member employers. Despite the dissimulation of higher healthcare cost, some companies erect programs that forget entice smokers to break take in. at once they sign up and complete the program, they are waived of a certain amount which is ordinarily required for smoking employees. However if they strike the vice, the fee will be asked of them in the following year. Basing from the number of the employees that signed up for the program, it appears to be a motivating federal agent for smokers to finally give up on smoking.However, an issue cannot be without an opposing side. Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute, remarked making smokers pay more for insurance for their health choices isnt inherently wrong but do we really motive to live in a field where employers penalize us for everything in our private lives that isnt healthy? (cited in Cornwell, 2006, par. 10). methodology This study is conducted through interview of lx (60) resp ondents. The respondents age be adriftd from 23 to 40 long time of age. Among them were 22 females and 38 males.They were all smokers and of polar histories. The range of their ages was 14 to 27 when they started smoking tobacco/cigarettes. The main questions asked from the respondents are as follows (a) How m whatsoever sticks of cigarettes do you smoke per sidereal day? (b) On average, how may times deliver you consulted with a medical doctor with affection relating to your vice? (c) Are you instinctive to elevate higher healthcare cost for smoking? (d) If you had no choice but to shoulder higher health care cost, would you quit smoking for good?Data abbreviation and ResultsAmong the sixty (60) respondents, the cigarette packs consumed per day range from 3 sticks to 1 pack a day. A pack contains 20 sticks of cigarette. As regards medical conditions, 56% of the smokers admitted to have smoking-related illnesses such(prenominal) as cough and sinus infections. In a year, the y visit the doctor 2 to 3 times for such sickness. When asked if they are willing to shoulder surplus healthcare cost for their vice, 40% utter yes, since they are willing to take responsibility for their hold vice. However 60% said no.On the imposition of a higher health cost from their employers and if this would stumble them quit smoking for good, 38. 3% said they would decidedly quit smoking, 43. 3% said they would make an effort to quit smoking, 18. 3% said it would not make any divagation in their smoking wonts. Discussion Basing from the interviews, besides 18% of the respondents are adamant to quitting smoking despite imposing higher costs for healthcare. Significantly, these respondents have been smoking for al about their lives and have not yet experienced any serious illness associated with their smoking habit. hotshot of the respondents remarked that he is willing to shoulder a few more of his income and earnings since smoking, correspond to him, does him good t hat is worth his money. However, more significantly, 38% are willing to give up the vice and another 43% were willing to make an effort to quit for good. Basing from this research, it shows that higher health care cost can be an effective deterrent for smoking. wiz of those willing to give up smoking for good was a single woman who said she could instead use the money for clean fun than for smoking-related sicknesses.Conclusion and recommendation Judging from the result of this study and motley interviews of employers (as stated in Cornwells article), the additional expenses for health care for smoking plain discourage smokers from pursuing the vice. Evidence shows that most are willing to undergo therapy and programs that will help eliminate the tobacco habit for good, as they are to shoulder the expense of consultation, treatment and medication for such spontaneous health risk.