Politics & Government

Weiner Says Smokers Should Pay Higher Healthcare Costs

Former congressman also wants city money to be used to save Catholic schools.

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner said he would make city workers who smoke pay more for health insurance if he is elected mayor this fall.

Weiner, who officially jumped into the mayoral race on Wednesday, told 1010 Wins that he thought it was fair to make smokers pay higher healthcare costs.

“I think it’s perfectly reasonable to say to people that make a decision that add the cost to the rest of us that they should bare that cost,” he said.

He said he also wanted to use city funding to help Catholic schools across the five boroughs survive.

“We’ve lost 63 parish schools in the past five years,” he told 1010 Wins. “We’re due to lose another 20 at the end of the year.”

He recommended that city residents donate everything from money to computers to the city’s non-public schools.

Weiner will face off in the Democratic primary for mayor this fall against City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, D-Manhattan, city Comptroller John Liu, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, former Councilman Sal Albanese and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.


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