Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Also, if one agrees that people who are a bigger burden on society than the rest of us should 'pay' more, would you also agree with hospitals in the US forcing patients with cigarette related illnesses pay upfront in order to receive treatment?
Or maybe insurance companies shouldn't be paying for the treatment that arises from cigarette related illnesses?
Maybe the Canadian government should refuse to provide care for those people who deliberately do unhealthy things to their body, forcing them to seek treatment.
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Not in the slightest. Denying a sick person care, even if you're only doing so by making that care unaffordable, is directly contrary to the purpose of medicine. The only way to offset those costs is to tax the activity that caused the increased risk in the first place.
Are you saying you'd like to see a "Big Mac Tax" instead? I actually think taxes on unhealthy foods are a decent idea in principle, but probably unworkable in the real world--because most foods are okay in moderation. Cigarettes aren't okay in moderation; even a light smoker has an increased risk of getting sick, dying and costing the system money.