As a result of rising health care costs and the challenge to contain them, companies are trying to encourage employees to take better care of themselves, and some are even penalizing employees if they do not. In 2012, Walmart Inc. started charging tobacco-using employees higher health care premiums, but also offered free smoking cessation programs to all employees. While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (passed in 2012) prohibits health insurers from rejecting people with preexisting conditions, it still allows insurers to charge higher premiums based on risk factors such as age, location, family composition, and tobacco use. Tobacco use carries the heaviest penalties, allowing insurers to charge premium rates as much as 50% higher for smokers than nonsmokers under the law. A survey conducted by a consulting firm and the National Business Group on Health reports that about 40% of American employers reward or penalize employees based on tobacco use (smoke and smokeless). In addition, a growing number of companies are refusing to hire smokers. What do you think of businesses’ attempts to decrease health care costs by helping employees become healthier? What are the ethical issues associated with a firm’s choice to cut health care costs by eliminating people who are unhealthy? What rights, duties, responsibilities, and consequences does this strategy imply? Do you think people who don’t take care of themselves should be responsible for their increased health care costs? How would you feel personally if your past health conditions and current health practices were part of an employment application?