Yes,

I go to a club where many people smoke cigars, and as someone who doesn't smoke anything, it is definately smoking. And to me, smells worse than cigarettes.

-hfw

One of my most guilty pleasures is a Romeo y Julieta 1875 Robusto .
And YES it is smoking . If you dont believe me just ask any of the patrons in the smoking section of the restaurant . Hee-Hee .
They say that second hand smoke is far worse than the actual smoking of the cigar .
Looks like I made the right choice . ;)

does anyone know whether health insurance companies treat cigar smokers as tobacco users like people that smoke cigarettes?

Blue Cross/Blue Shield treats smokers as "users of tobacco products." That pretty much covers everyone.

There is no distinction made between what type of tobacco is used, or how often it is used. (at least, that's the limit to what I'm aware of)

Never really thought about it before, but no, I don't. When I see someone smoking a cigarette I'm always like "eww, why do people smoke those things, gross", but when I see someone smoking a cigar I usually just ignore it or think that they are probably just relaxing and enjoying themselves without the wife/kids/job or whatever. It's an interesting point, and I had never really thought about it before... Good topic! :D