> It makes perfect sense that health insurance companies become the force for healthy lifestyles. Insurance companies are incentivized to promote lifestyles th

> It makes perfect sense that health insurance companies become the force for healthy lifestyles. Insurance companies are incentivized to promote lifestyles that have less healthcare expenses. This often maps to "healthy lifestyles", but that is not universally true. > Why should those companies not act in their self-interest to reduce risk? Because we probably want people to quit smoking and eat better, but those activities cause people to die faster[1], which is cheaper for insurance companies. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.9748884.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.97488...