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LIFESTYLE

Most Say Smokers Should Pay More For Health Insurance

Some companies already charge smokers more for health insurance, and most Americans think that's a good idea.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Adults think people who smoke should pay higher health insurance rates than non-smokers. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree and do not think smokers should be charged more. (To see survey question wording, click here.)  

Not surprisingly, just 12% of current smokers like the idea of higher health insurance rates. Seventy percent (70%) of non-smokers and a plurality (49%) of former smokers, however, think smokers should pay more.

In October 2009, 50% of adults favored making government workers who smoke pay more for health insurance. 

That same month, 30% of adults said overweight workers should also pay higher health insurance premiums.

  (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 

The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 14-15, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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