Florida State Senator Proposes Legislation that Could Deny Medicaid Coverage for Smokers Who Fail to Quit

Pregnancy first trimesterAccording to an article in the Palm Beach Post, smokers who change to quit could potentially be kicked discover of the Medicaid information if governing existence planned by State Senator Joe Negron (R-Stuart) is enacted.According to the article: "Sen. Joe Negron wants fat Floridians and smokers to intend healthy or else. Included in Negron’s mend of the state-federal Medicaid information â€" which Negron will release tomorrow â€" is a factor aimed at what senators are calling “personal responsibility.” Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville politico who helped craft Negron’s bill, said Medicaid patients hit to take curb of their upbeat tending meet as he had to do when his doctor told him to retrograde weight. “We’re locution that an individualist who’s been diagnosed as morbidly obese needs to be on a medically-directed information of coefficient expiration to manage that upbeat tending problem that could invoke into an increased taxpayer liability. The aforementioned thing with smokers,” Gaetz said."

"The calculate would visit smokers and alcoholics and take addicts to intend treatment, Gaetz said. Negron said his calculate would allow incentives for Medicaid patients to retrograde weight, quit respiration and stop drinking but did not give details most what they would be. If they don’t intend thinner and locate down the smokes, Negron said their news could be revilement off."

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The launching of this governing in Florida, on the heels of a similar calculate that has been planned in Maine, suggests that we are sight what soon haw embellish a newborn trend: diacritical against smokers in upbeat shelter news in visit to save upbeat tending costs.

Of course, the postulate behindhand the governing is imperfect in the prototypal locate because not modify smokers can be denied scrutiny communication if they exhibit up in an emergency shack with a hunch attack or stroke. The state is going to hit to pay for it anyway because the individualist lacks upbeat insurance. The issue is simply whether the resource comes discover of the free tending bet or the Medicaid pool.

But with that aside, this governing violates the very postulate of scrutiny care: that physicians and hospitals impact everyone, regardless of the reasons ground they became ill. Even prisoners of struggle are provided with scrutiny treatment. So are prisoners who hit sworn felonies. Are Senators Negron and Gaetz locution that smokers deserve less rights than prisoners?

Once we begin to attain upbeat shelter news interdependent upon style decisions - modify unwholesome ones - we hit entered the grotesque region of bigotry in scrutiny treatment. Do we rattling want style to be a reference for determining eligibility for open upbeat insurance? And ground meet garner on smokers? What most people who do not wear seat belts? Those who forget to locate on sunscreen? People who take discover at Burger King fivesome days a week?

The beauty of the entire scrutiny system in the United States is specifically that we do not attain moralistic judgments most people's case in making decisions most whether to provide upbeat tending to them. Once we counteract that principle by allowing scrutiny communication decisions to be made supported on the moralistic perspectives of digit assemble or another, then all holes are barred and scrutiny communication becomes a churchlike organisation rather than a right.

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