Health Insurers Own Tobacco Stocks Worth Nearly $4.5 Billion

Major insurance companies have nearly $ 4.5 billion of shares in tobacco companies, according to a study by Harvard University. It's a bit of sense: the health insurers to people with knowledge snuff, and while people smoke, why not take the murderer? This is what David Himmelstein, co-author of the study, called "Every veterinarian and taxidermist approach: two cases you will receive your dog." 

The greatest investor of snuff on the list, the 160 years of Prudential company with branches in the United States and the United Kingdom, has more than $ 1.5 billion invested in the stock of snuff. Second place went to Toronto-based Sun Life Financial, which reportedly has over $ 1 billion of Philip Morris (Altria) and other snuff products stocks. In total, seven companies that sell life, health, disability or long-term care insurance, holdings of stocks have snuff. 

Why is it important? "If you have one billion dollars [stock snuff], then you do not want to see it go down," Himmelstein said, "You are less likely to join coalitions to fight snuff to pass the anti - The snuff, for the most part, while most companies in the health wishing to participate in " 

Sun Life Financial has denied that a balance of snuff, a claim Himmelstein delicately called a lie. 

It's just another thing to keep in mind this summer that Congress debate whether we can maintain the confidence of private health insurers in search of our interest.