Well if you dislike one or the other, why not combine your loathing and get it all done in one shot?
"The study found that the American insurance company Prudential Financial, Inc. has $264.3 million invested in U.S. cigarette makers, including Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds. The Canadian company Sun Life Financial, Inc., which sells life, health and disability insurance, owns over $1 billion worth of stock in tobacco interests, including $890 million in Philip Morris. Prudential Plc, which sells health and disability coverage, has $1.38 billion invested in two tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco."
(Sources - http://www.prwatch.org/node/8406; http://www.theprovince.com/Health/Canadian+life+health+insurers+investing+heavily+tobacco+companies/1664704/story.html)
Wait, it gets better -
"Insurers exclude smokers from coverage or, more commonly, charge them higher premiums. Insurers profit -- and smokers lose -- twice over."
And yet there are still people in this country who question the need for a national health care plan.
Maybe it's because these private companies make it pretty obvious that their primary goal is profit. And without any motivation to offer competitive comprehensive services, they become monoplies and conglomerates and do things like this.
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