Hello,
I am in management in a hospital. I am in positon to know about people calling in sick. I know about 4-5 people who smoke very heavy and call in sick frequently. I am talking 1-2 times in a space of 2 months all year long. Their cloths 'stink' and their skin 'stinks.' We passed a no smoking in-the-hospital policy a number of years ago and it has expanded to on hospital property (parking lots) as of Jan.1, 2007.
So back to smoking, it cost me personally and every person in the United States lots of money to take care of people who smoke. People who smoke are not just wealthy people that can afford to be sick in a hospital but people of every economic class. The people on welfare and medicare are subsidized by you and me. Who pays their bills in a hospital when they end up sick not just as an inpatient but in the Emergency Room? How about all the people who call for an ambulence due to not being able to breathe.
Smoking is a major contributor to heart disease. Everytime a person smokes it constricts the vessels in their body (including the heart) causing greater chances for chest pain and myocardia infarction. Again, who is paying their bills. Smoking causes increased premiums for insurance. Insurance companies calculate smoker's increased medical needs and charge us with increased premiums for the future needs of the smoker.
I am not even going to talk about cancer and a multitude of other problems smoking causes.
Sorry for my soap box but I lived around second hand smoke for 27 years. I live in Washington State and its the law here and I am glad for it.
All the above information generally applies to obesity. I'm so glad I got a lap band.
irishamerican
