I just returned from taking a deposit to the bank. There were 4 cars in front of me in the left turn lane. Three of the four drivers had their arms hanging out of the window with cigarettes in their hand. When the light changes, two of the four cars turned into a Dunkin Donuts.
PLEASE explain to me why a large chunk of the money I earn will be taken by the gov’t to pay for the health care of people who make poor personal decisions regarding their health.
I read that 85%+ of all healthcare costs are directly related to obesity, smoking and alcohol. Would it not make sense to charge an optional tax on all junk food, cigarettes and alcohol then use the funds to pay for their healthcare? Once the optional tax is implimented, the consumer will have a choice. They can purchase the unhealthy produce and pay the tax or make healthy choices and not pay the tax. Is that solution to simple?
I read that 85%+ of all healthcare costs are directly related to obesity, smoking and alcohol.
Please find that quote, and let us know where it can be checked. Most of your rant hinges on this statistic, which seems to be incorrect (most health care costs are incurred near the end of life by really old folks).
I just returned from taking a deposit to the bank. There were 4 cars in front of me in the left turn lane. Three of the four drivers had their arms hanging out of the window with cigarettes in their hand. When the light changes, two of the four cars turned into a Dunkin Donuts.
PLEASE explain to me why a large chunk of the money I earn will be taken by the gov’t to pay for the health care of people who make poor personal decisions regarding their health.
I read that 85%+ of all healthcare costs are directly related to obesity, smoking and alcohol. Would it not make sense to charge an optional tax on all junk food, cigarettes and alcohol then use the funds to pay for their healthcare? Once the optional tax is implimented, the consumer will have a choice. They can purchase the unhealthy produce and pay the tax or make healthy choices and not pay the tax. Is that solution to simple?
Why?, its not their fault they smoke, the cigarette companies lied to them. Its not their fault they are fat, its a genetic problem.
You make more money than them, and you should pay more because they cant.
You were given every chance in life and they have been held down, you owe it to them.
Why do you hate other people who are less fortunate as you?
There’s no such thing as an “optional tax.” If it were optional, it would be called a “donation,” not a “tax,” and no law would need to be passed to implement it.
If you really don’t want to pay for someone else’s poor health choices, you should lobby for a free-market health-care/insurance system–meaning one in which neither the government nor the employer provides health care or health insurance. If you don’t think that’s practical, then accept the reality that people will make bad decisions if they don’t have to pay the full costs of them.
There’s no such thing as an “optional tax.” If it were optional, it would be called a “donation,” not a “tax,” and no law would need to be passed to implement it.
It would be completely optional. I/you can choose not to purchase the product therefore not pay the tax. If I/you choose to purchase the product then we pay the tax. You can call it something else if you like: healthcare levy, healthcare donation, whatever.
I love dunkin donuts and am the healthiest person I know
Generally speaking, cheap food = unhealthy food. Taxing unheatlhy food and using the funds to pay for YOUR healthcare would be a burden on those with extremely limited funding…i.e. tax on the poor. Why do you hate the poor?
Your stat is bogus…most healthcare costs from unnecessary tests and adding 6months onto a 90 year old person’s life
A better suggestion is to tax the bad things (as you said…alcohol, cigarettes, etc) and use the funds to subsidize the good for those on limited incomes. An example of this would be expanding the food stamp program or similar so that only healthy items are available for purchase.
**then accept the reality that people will make bad decisions if they don’t have to pay the full costs of them. **
That is exactly what I am saying. Make them pay the full cost of their bad decisions OR do you not feel that people should be responsible for their own decisions?
I agree with your sentiments, but the fat stat is wrong. The vast majority of health care dollars are spent in the last 120 days of chronic/terminally ill/elderly patients lives: systemic abuses from every consult and test the law will allow.
I love dunkin donuts and am the healthiest person I know I also love their coffee cake muffins and if I choose to buy one, I would donate to the fund
Generally speaking, cheap food = unhealthy food. Taxing unheatlhy food and using the funds to pay for YOUR healthcare would be a burden on those with extremely limited funding…i.e. tax on the poor.They will have the choice to purchare or not purchase the product. Why do you hate choice? Why do you hate the poor? I pay $875 each month for my healthcare, you can pay for yours
Your stat is bogus…most healthcare costs from unnecessary tests and adding 6months onto a 90 year old person’s life Please show me those statistics
A better suggestion is to tax the bad things (as you said…alcohol, cigarettes, etc) and use the funds to subsidize the good for those on limited incomes. **A good idea. An example of this would be expanding the food stamp program or similar so that only healthy items are available for purchase.An even better idea. No junk food = less healthcare costs
I truly do not understand why so many people are against allowing others to be responsible for their own choices.
Chronic disease – The nature of health care in the U.S. has changed dramatically over the past century with longer life spans and greater prevalence of chronic illnesses. This has placed tremendous demands on the health care system, particularly an increased need for treatment of ongoing illnesses and long-term care services such as nursing homes; it is estimated that health care costs for chronic disease treatment account for over 75% of national health expenditures.
** “The burden of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease”
**
Why do I have to pay for people who eat red meat?
Why do I have to pay for folks who drink alcohol?
Why do I have to pay for folks who drink HFCS?
Why do I have to pay for people who bicycle in traffic?
Why do I have to pay for other who have brain tumors due to cell phone use?
Why do I have to pay for folks who take presciption driugs with side effects?
Why do I have to pay for others who participate in risky sexual behaviors?
Now, someone will get on here and say, “Number X is wrong because in a recent survey . . . .”
Blah, Blah, the survey could be biased and, if your as old as me, you’ve seen “what is good for you” come and go like the latest rock group or style of blue jeans.
Thanks, there are a ton of chronic diseases (i.e. arthritis) not directly linked to obesity/alcoholism/smoking. Lots of normal folks suffer from cardiovascular disease AND diabetes. From one paper that I’ve seen, the direct costs due to obesity are between 6-12% of total health care costs.
(Finkelstein EA, Trogdon JG, Cohen JW, Dietz W. Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer- And Service-Specific Estimates. *Health Affairs. *2009; 28(5): w822–w831. )
You are correct. I found 9% for obesity and that smoking accounted for 11.8 percent of all medical expenditures in the U.S. in 1993. The total cost of caring for people with health problems caused by cigarette smoking – counting all sources of medical payments – is about $72.7 billion per year, according to health economists at the University of California.
“Annual health care expenditures for alcohol-related problems amount to $22.5 billion. The total cost of alcohol problems is $175.9 billion a year (compared to $114.2 billion for other drug problems and $137 billion for smoking)”
My point is simple. Those that make the bad choices should pay the cost.
I here this alot and generally find it to be false. I can buy a 5 pound bag of potatoes for less than I can buy 10 oz of potato chips.
In general it only makes sense that a food product with less work put into it would be cheaper. Also in general food with “Less work” put into it is healthy for you. Produce, bag of beans, etc etc.
About the only case where this statement is true is the meat department as the cheap “Meat”, is not really meat at all
A better suggestion is to tax the bad things (as you said…alcohol, cigarettes, etc) and use the funds to subsidize the good for those on limited incomes
How much more do you want to tax these things? Couple that with the problem of dwindling market because the cost of the product is too expensive and eventually you loose your tax base entirely. Alcohol and cigarettes are already majority tax.
The best suggestion is to simply have people pay for what they use as RobC suggests. Then people can decide how they will live their lives and what lifestyle choices best suits their income.
but mucho federal dollars go to roads all over this obese land, including NC
But I get your point, I also don’t think that folks w/o health insurance or the monies to self-insure should engage in risky behaviors such as road biking and triathlons. Why should I have to pay for their snapped clavicles.
You are paying for them via private insurance as well…
All of society, from A to Z, is about shared risk. It’s part of the social compact that some folks will never access anywhere near the level of anything available from society that others will but it’s there just in case. We all pay in with that expectation in mind. I personally don’t mind, just so long as the money that’s paid in is managed and disbursed efficiently. That’s not happening right now in many instances.
