“We’re all different. Why should a smoker pay more than a non-smoker.” - US Congressman Pete Sessions Think Progress
(…”Pete Sessions actually compared women to smokers and suggested women, like smokers, have to pay more for insurance just by the accident of our ability to get pregnant.” - Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) )
You know one of the reasons why many women incur more medical costs throughout their lives and thus are charged higher health insurance premiums than men? Because women bear children, and carrying a child to term and giving birth to a healthy baby is expensive. And I would think it goes without saying that procreation is crucial to the survival of the human race, so perhaps the burden for the cost disparity between women’s and men’s health insurance should be shared equally. But sure, go ahead and say being born with two X chromosomes is the same thing as choosing to smoke. That makes complete sense.
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