Tipton, KS | soilnotdirt - 6/6/2026 15:27
Private health insurance can adjust rates for age and one behavior, smoking.
Mar 22, 2012
Alcohol, Obesity and Smoking Do Not Cost Health Care Systems Money
It's a common enough argument around the world at the moment, that various unhealthy behaviours increase the costs to health care systems. Thus those unhealthy behaviours should be taxed more heavily so as to pay for the costs to those health care systems. The only problem with the argument is that it is entirely gibbering nonsense, unhealthy behaviours reduce costs to health care systems: if we are to accept the initial logic then we should subsidise them, not tax them.
We see it in my native UK over smoking, alcohol and obesity. Rarely does a week go past without there being another report about how much this or that activity costs the NHS and thus taxes must be raised. You've got it in the US with the various people calling for taxes on HFCS, sugar, empty calories, soda pops and junk food.
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Now there is no doubt at all that these unhealthy behaviours do have costs, that's not at issue. The major cost is of course to the imbiber, smoker or lardbucket in the form of a shorter lifespan. However, it's pretty much a given that in anything even approximating to a free or liberal society that consenting adults have to be left to make their own cost benefit trade offs.
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The reason we cannot use this argument is that it simply isn't true. Those who die young save health care systems money, not cost. Thus, if we really are to accept the argument about taxes and the costs of health care then we should be subsidising puffing, browsing and sluicing.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/03/22/alcohol-obesity-...
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Raw Milk: 60 people were sickened
