Guess Who’s Still Investing in Tobacco
June 8, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
Is it proper for health and life insurance companies to invest in the tobacco industry?
A recent article written by three doctors from Harvard explains that “while selling life or health insurance may seem self-defeating, insurance firms have figured out ways to profit from both.” The article goes on to explain that most insurers either exclude smokers from coverage or charge them higher premiums. Thus, it’s speculated that insurance companies may actually profit from tobacco.
The researchers explain that Prudential Financial Inc., (providing life insurance and long-term disability coverage) has total tobacco holdings of $264.3 million. But they aren’t the only ones.
A PDF of the insurance research article is available online at Physicians for a National Health Program. The article is published in the June 3 edition of New England Journal of Medicine.
Does it bother you that some health and life insurance companies invest in tobacco?
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