Should We Be Rationing Health Care For Fatties And Smokers?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-41988545/should-healthcare-be-rationed-for-patients-who-smoke-or-are-obese
On the basis that more or less any sort of health care need can be put down as "self inflicted" it may surprise many of you that I think not.

[meglet]

My newborn son hadn’t paid anything into the system either, but needed and had 10s of thousands of pounds of life saving heart surgery.

The point I’m trying to make is that immigrants will pay in over time. Contrary to what some think they are not automatically entitled to benefits.

[ludwig]

No, because as you say, plenty more things can be classed as self-inflicted, so it's unfair to single out specific groups.

A fat-tax on unhealthy food would be better, in they same way that they put swingeing taxes on tobacco, all of which revenue raised should go to the health service.

[barry1010]

There is already VAT on some unhealthy food and drinks; most food classed as healthy sold in shops and markets is zero rated.