Consider this scenario: You are the manager of a small business. One of your responsibilities is to oversee the health care plan for 10 employees. In examining last year’s costs you note that the smokers in the group averaged 20% higher health care related costs than the nonsmokers. However, the employee diagnosed with cancer had higher costs than the other nine together. You must make a change to break even. Your options are:

1. Raise weekly fees, deductibles, and copays for all 10 employees
2. Raise weekly fees, deductibles, and copays for just the smokers and cancer patient (who never smoked)
3. Raise weekly fees, deductibles, and copays for the smokers but not the cancer patient
4. Lower the quality of the plan for all employees to maintain the same costs
5. Raise premiums for all but offer lower deductibles and co-pays for nonsmokers and those who quit smoking

Customize your health care plan costs for your employees

Include the following aspects in the discussion:

• Describe your thought process as you work through each option
• Did  what is moral or ethical play a role in your decision
• Discuss the role of punishing behaviors that can hurt health vs the role of encouraging healthful behaviors by offering incentives such as lower premiums