Smokers face huge premiums under new health law

President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act could prove to be just the opposite for smokers, who face up to 50 percent higher premiums in individual policies due to a little-noticed provision in the health care overhaul. Older smokers could pay thousands of dollars more each year at a time in life when smoking-related health problems crop up, amplifying the strain on household budgets. Smokers covered by their employers will have an easier time avoiding the penalty.