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Smokers and the Obese save Governments money on healthcare costs, by dying earlier: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.9748884.html https:

Smokers and the Obese save Governments money on healthcare costs, by dying earlier: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.9748884.html https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.9748... This study only included healthcare costs, and so the savings would thus be even greater when considering pensions. "On average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived 77 years and obese people 80 years. The healthy group cost $417,000, the obese $371,000, and smokers $326,000."

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umvi 5y ago
Using that logic, the government should be eager to keep covid around as long as possible because of money being saved by people dying early.
- kimixa 5y ago
  The question would be how does that balance against "productive" years, where they're paying taxes, their work increases the GDP etc.
  - Factorium 5y ago
    According to this UK COVID Risk Calculator: https://qcovid.org/Calculation https://qcovid.org/Calculation An average healthy White British male of 66 years (retirement age) has a hospitalisation risk of 1 in 831; death risk of 1 in 2786. By contrast the yearly risk of death in that age bracket generally, from any cause, is 1 in 42: http://www.bandolier.org.uk/booth/Risk/dyingage.html http://www.bandolier.org.uk/booth/Risk/dyingage.html COVID is accelerating deaths from existing comorbidities or very old age; based on this data it is not felling healthy workers.
- Ekaros 5y ago
  One could argue that fighting against covid was worst thing we could have done for climate in long run...
- DonHopkins 5y ago
  We just voted out a government that tried to do that.
smorgusofborg 5y ago
I wouldn't expect that to stay stable any more than doing the lifetime cost calculations for HIV initially and today. Cancers are increasingly being survived, usually with at least some additional lifelong health care requirements (which pharma will always be looking to expand upon) on top of the costs for a healthy individual.
Spooky23 5y ago
Not really. When your diabetes leads to kidney problems and stroke, your last 5 years of life likely cost more than the rest combined.
paulryanrogers 5y ago
Complicating things are some of those people dying early could otherwise be happy and productive members of society. And government doesn't exist to save money.

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umvi 5y ago

Using that logic, the government should be eager to keep covid around as long as possible because of money being saved by people dying early.

kimixa 5y ago
The question would be how does that balance against "productive" years, where they're paying taxes, their work increases the GDP etc.
- Factorium 5y ago
  According to this UK COVID Risk Calculator: https://qcovid.org/Calculation https://qcovid.org/Calculation An average healthy White British male of 66 years (retirement age) has a hospitalisation risk of 1 in 831; death risk of 1 in 2786. By contrast the yearly risk of death in that age bracket generally, from any cause, is 1 in 42: http://www.bandolier.org.uk/booth/Risk/dyingage.html http://www.bandolier.org.uk/booth/Risk/dyingage.html COVID is accelerating deaths from existing comorbidities or very old age; based on this data it is not felling healthy workers.
Ekaros 5y ago
One could argue that fighting against covid was worst thing we could have done for climate in long run...
DonHopkins 5y ago
We just voted out a government that tried to do that.

smorgusofborg 5y ago

I wouldn't expect that to stay stable any more than doing the lifetime cost calculations for HIV initially and today. Cancers are increasingly being survived, usually with at least some additional lifelong health care requirements (which pharma will always be looking to expand upon) on top of the costs for a healthy individual.

Spooky23 5y ago

Not really. When your diabetes leads to kidney problems and stroke, your last 5 years of life likely cost more than the rest combined.

paulryanrogers 5y ago

Complicating things are some of those people dying early could otherwise be happy and productive members of society. And government doesn't exist to save money.