5 ms·

Except of course that if person A chooses to be very health-conscious, exercises, eats healthy, and doesn't abuse coffee, sugar, salt, tobacco, and alcohol, and

Except of course that if person A chooses to be very health-conscious, exercises, eats healthy, and doesn't abuse coffee, sugar, salt, tobacco, and alcohol, and pays more for better food and gym membership that person B who eats fast food, drinks, smokes, and eats kit-kats all day long, then person A gets taxed to pay for person B's surgeries and other treatments. This doesn't seem fair at all. It makes it look like all the people living in the hillside because they didn't want to move to the floodplain have to pay for the guy's house in the flood plain even though they warned him not to build there. Seems to me that everyone would then say: "well, let's not be healthy, let's not eat well, since the government will pay for all our surgeries and medicine..." What happened to personal responsibility?

waterlesscloud 14y ago
And obviously we should include risky sexual behavior and unplanned pregnancies on the list of things people should be personally responsible for as well. And all sorts of sports and outdoors activities that raise risk. It's only fair.
Falling3 14y ago
And what about the (very common) scenario where person A actually contracts an expensive disease based on environmental factors that are largely out of their control and person B lucks out with great genes and has no significant health issues. I don't think most people have a problem with personal responsibility in this context (theoretically). But the healthcare debate is SO much more complicated than that.
NateDad 14y ago
Yeah, 'cause gastric bypass and daily insulin injections are gobs of fun. Humans are really bad at long term risk assessment. No one says "I'm going to eat 2000 extra calories every day because the government will pay for my daily insulin injections when I get diabetes". They say "bah, it won't happen to me".
wisty 14y ago
> Seems to me that everyone would then say: "well, let's not be healthy, let's not eat well, since the government will pay for all our surgeries and medicine..." The government might pay for your health care, but they can't reincarnate you if you die. So there's still a reasonable incentive to stay fit. There's some UK TV show where the government (I think) is paying for fat people to get stomach staples. Preventative medicine can save money in the long run, and public health systems are often more willing to do it (since the guys in charge care about the next election, and not just the next quarter).

waterlesscloud 14y ago

And obviously we should include risky sexual behavior and unplanned pregnancies on the list of things people should be personally responsible for as well. And all sorts of sports and outdoors activities that raise risk. It's only fair.

Falling3 14y ago

And what about the (very common) scenario where person A actually contracts an expensive disease based on environmental factors that are largely out of their control and person B lucks out with great genes and has no significant health issues. I don't think most people have a problem with personal responsibility in this context (theoretically). But the healthcare debate is SO much more complicated than that.

NateDad 14y ago

Yeah, 'cause gastric bypass and daily insulin injections are gobs of fun. Humans are really bad at long term risk assessment. No one says "I'm going to eat 2000 extra calories every day because the government will pay for my daily insulin injections when I get diabetes". They say "bah, it won't happen to me".

wisty 14y ago

> Seems to me that everyone would then say: "well, let's not be healthy, let's not eat well, since the government will pay for all our surgeries and medicine..." The government might pay for your health care, but they can't reincarnate you if you die. So there's still a reasonable incentive to stay fit. There's some UK TV show where the government (I think) is paying for fat people to get stomach staples. Preventative medicine can save money in the long run, and public health systems are often more willing to do it (since the guys in charge care about the next election, and not just the next quarter).