NationStates Jolt Archive


New Bill Will Refuse Smokers Health Benefits

Granade Turquesa Isla
03-03-2007, 04:39
Serenidade-After three weeks of debate in Parliament, Bill 707 was passed in a majority vote. Bill 707 was dealing with ways of reducing the cost of Health Care in the nation, including how to manage the insurance inflation with out slashing funding to hospitals and doctors, and to make sure even the poorest of people can be helped. One of the solutions proposed was to nix health benefits for smokers, thus cutting the costs nearly in half. Proposer of the bill, Jose Lopez says this will be an effective solution to reducing the inflation and easing the insurance weight. "Smokers know what they are doing to themselves, they know the health consequences of their bad and disgusting habbit, so they should take care of them selves instead of making us and the tax payers cover their health." The bill will include to cut out any insurance deduction for medical treatment related to the effects of smoking, including Cancer Treatment. The bill however will not refuse treatment for medical alements such as loss of limb, but whether or not other sickness will be coverd is under debate as smoking has been proven to reduce your immune system.

Smokers are up in arms against the bills but so are some people. Some are fearing they will not get treatment for Cancer because the doctors will belive they are long time smokers. "Cancer runs in my family," says Marah Rodriguez "I hope I never get it, but what if I do? What If I'm refused treatment because they have reason to belive I'm a smoker, although I'm not. It seems to have to many risks." Support of the bill is very mixed among smokers and non smokers alike. Suprisingly even some smokers support the bill. "Well they have a point, we do know what we are doing, so why should I have to make the tax payers take care of it? I know I wouldn't want to be paying taxes for something I had no part in either."

The bill will be put into effect in the following weeks. Any amendments will be made after one month.