#46: “keep government out of healthcare and you would NOT be subsidizing bad behavior.” If only it were so simple! Your libertarian utopia is just a pipe dream. Last year the US government spent nearly $600 billion in Medicare/ Medicaid, and that’s not going to change any time soon. Like it or not, your tax dollars are going to be spent on someone else’s healthcare. Wouldn’t you rather the government recoup some of its losses from those who knowingly put themselves at risk, instead of you?
I could care less if someone wants to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, and decide to kill themselves. The problem is they’re usually only partially successful, and end up with head/body trauma, requiring major medical interventions -possibly at my expense.
By your logic (of no government intervention in healthcare) what would happen if a poor, uninsured man suffered a serious motorcycle accident? Or developed smoking-related lung cancer? Would you leave him to die? Would the hospital be forced to treat him free of charge? This would again mean I have to pay for his care, as the hospital would offset its losses by charging more to those (like me) who do pay.
In terms of smoking, the government isn’t telling you you can’t do it -it’s telling you there’s a serious cost involved. If you’re willing to pay the price, go ahead, light up.
