If vaping is a health hazard, insurance should treat it as such

So now that it’s been documented that vaping is dangerous to your health, the next step to follow is for health insurance companies to charge more for those who take up the nasty habit.  

Currently, Kansas tobacco users are charged up to 50% more for their health insurance compared to non-smokers. 

Because e-cigarettes were first promoted as a safe smoking cessation tool, we assume manufacturers were able to escape from it being closely evaluated. But the truth is, vaping doesn’t help smokers kick the habit. And its high nicotine and chemical content are causing all sorts of lung-related illnesses, just as with tobacco products.

The science and medical communities are studying just how risky vaping is. But as a society we can’t wait for years of research before it’s officially declared harmful. 

Just think of all the years the tobacco industry got away with false advertising on cigarettes. Leading right up to the U.S. Surgeon General’s declaration in 1964 that using tobacco was harmful, the industry promoted it as anything but — though they knew otherwise.

Lucky Strikes used smoking as a weight-loss gimmick, touting “Lucky Strikes, for a slender figure no one can deny.”

Knowing that health professionals would soon start warning patients of its harmful effects — tobacco remains the number one preventable health hazard — the tobacco industry preyed on patients’ gullibility by falsely claiming “More doctors smoke Camels” and “L&M Filters are just what the doctor ordered.”

Vaping is no different.

A recent outbreak of severe lung injuries has been attributed to e-cigarettes. In more than 20 states, patients have been reporting shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea and vomiting. More than 500 cases of lung disease related to vaping have been reported in 33 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Doctors don’t know as yet the long-term damage from vaping, including scarring or loss of lung function.

So far, six patients have died. Kansas reported its first vaping-related death on Wednesday.

The scariest part is that our children are vaping.

A recent survey by the Kansas Department of Education shows more than 30% of students vape, including our elementary students.  

Health officials say vaping introduces kids to tobacco use and a lifetime addiction.

School district officials in Goddard have taken the extreme measure of suing e-cigarette manufacturers, saying the products have created a health crisis among its students.