Smokers and the NHS?

Question

Now that smokers and future smokers know the damage that smoking can do to their bodies, should they be allowed free NHS healthcare if they then suffer with a smoking related illness or should they be made to pay for private healthcare?

Should there be a smoking insurance that covers this that they should have to take out (just like car insurance)

By the way, to all the idiots who are slamming me here, I never once said that I was against it. It was a question derived from a news paper article I read and I wondered what people generally thought.

But as usual, I see the typical reaction to a general question where the asker gets verbally abused by others

Answer 1

Why shouldn't they be entitled to free NHS treatment? Paying your tax & NI contributions is paying for healthcare.

Smokers are drug addicts, like alcoholics & people addicted to illegal drugs, so if you apply this strategy to smokers you have to do it to anyone who does anything remotely bad for their health.

You cant guarantee that peoples illnesses are due to certain aspects of their lifestyle - eg people can get lung cancer without ever touching a cig & some cancers cannot be prevented.

I, personally have never smoked, my parents however have & they have had chest complaints - in fact my Dad died of lung cancer!

If the government did what you're suggesting then people, like my Dad would be refused treatment & therefore left to waste away & die a long agonising horrific death - which is an infringement of their human rights & a manner in which you wouldnt let an animal suffer.

Pure & Simple - you pay into the health service & you should be entitled to help from it!

Answer 2

I guess it depends on whether you think fat people, alcohollics or drug addicts also deserve treatment. Sports fanatics - do they deserve to get treatment if they bust a knee or something playing sports? How about children who have mumps because their parents chose not to give them MMR. How about Viagra? Should that be available on the NHS just so some old guy can get his rocks off? The thing is where do you stop... smoking is an addiction which is very easy to start and very very difficult to stop. Remember - addiction is in itself an illness and smoking is certainly not the only very stupid thing that people do in their lives that risks their health. Are you going to exclude all others too?.

The problem is that if you start being exclusive on one thing then you need to be exclusive on others and then where does it stop.

And finally, if you pay into the NHS then why not? or are you also suggesting that smokers don't have to pay their NHS contributions?

Answer 3

Where do you think the money has been coming from to keep the NHS in business?.
from the tax taken from smokers pockets.
Perhaps none smokers should be made to pay extra towards their healthcare.
Don't be so quick to moan about the cost of caring for smokers,
they have been paying much more than their fair share for years.
They have more right to treatment than non smokers.

one miffed ex smoker

Answer 4

what they should do is use the tax from cigarettes and tobacco to build hospitals for smokers only then see how long your nhs would last you idiot if smoking or passive smoking causes cancer then why dont we all have it or do you just believe everything in the papers thats written by some health freak next you will be telling us vegetarians dont die drink is the biggest cause of death in most countries so why dont you ban that is it maybe you like a drink.How many people were murdered,raped,abused,knocked down or mugged last year by someone who had too much to smoke

Answer 5

i am a nurse for the nhs and i have to say that smokers get penalised to much, when you have a drug addict come in and have no intention in giving up the drugs, and they take up a hospital bed and have a strong dose of methadone all on the nhs, so instead of picking out the smokers why don't you turn your attention on people who really waste hospital resources you obviously don't know that much about it

Answer 6

Do you smoke ? don't think so , does that mean fat people should have fat insurance sounds silly to me so i say no and i am an ex smoker very easy to start not so easy to quit !! The NHS should invest more into helping people to quit and the government could do a lot more to prevent kids from starting we know they get billions in revenue from the sale of cigarette's!!!

Answer 7

Personally I think selective health care isn't the way the NHS should go and we should make emergency and basic care free and everything paid for either by insurance on a sliding scale depending on income IIRC the french use this system. If you a going to be selective about NHS health care I think insurance would be the fairest way but you would need to charge everybody who damages their health on purpose such as alcohol, obesity and a similar scheme for people who take risks such as or motorcyclists, people doing extreme sports

Answer 8

Theres no such thing as free nhs health care if you go to work. I think all smokers should get "free" health care if they pay N.I. If smokers cant get it free then what about... the obese, sunbed users, drinkers, drug abusers, The list is endless.

Answer 9

what about drinkers,people who go skiing,fell walkers who get lost on the moors and injured ,mountain climbers,drug addicts etc etc....they all risk theyre lives ,smokers are the highest tax payers in the country,perhaps they should be able to say dont use my money for nhs treatment for the likes of people like you!

Answer 10

I understand your point, but in fairness there are plenty of other ways to damage yourself, from dangerous sports to attempted suicide. You can't discriminate against a particular group. There is de facto smoking insurance. It's called high taxes on tobacco! PS. I don't smoke.