If more smoking bans are passed, and more people quit, would that lower our healthcare cost?

Question

what do u think?


(this is for a research assignment for a class)

Answer 1

Each pack of cigarettes sold in the United States costs the Nation $7.18 in Health-care and Productivity.

Smokers tend to take longer to recover from illnesses, they stay in hospitals longer. Pregnant women who smoke have children with lower birth weights, who stay longer in hospitals.

Cigarette smoking remains the single most important preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the U.S. It results in “more deaths each year than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, motor vehicle crashes, and fires – combined

Smokers need to stop kidding themselves about who pays for health-care. The government funds hospitals with tax-dollars.

Smokers are being funded by taxpayers. Adding $7.18 to the price of each pack of cigarettes, is the only way to make smokers themselves directly pay for what it costs the nation.

Obesity costs health-care as well, but smokers are delusional if they think that those costs outweigh the costs of smoking. I have never seen a study that proves that, quite the opposite. BTW have you ever seen someone get sick from second hand fat?

There's a war on drugs, where's the war on tobacco?

Answer 2

No, for example.....(I will use low numbers instead of millions) you have 100 people getting the healthcare, and 30 people who smoke. the price of cigarettes go up and 10 people quit. Now you have 100 getting care and 20 to pay for it. The price goes up again, and 5 more quit. 100 people getting care and 15 are paying for it. You originally had 30 smokers, how many of the 15 quitters will need the healthcare that the 15 smokers now shoulder. Why do you think the prices keep going up?

Answer 3

I think it would, but at an unacceptable cost: the violation of our essential civil liberties. We started with smoking bans in public areas and now we're seeing some work places banning their employees from smoking at all (in the name of health care savings).

I don't smoke, in fact every time I'm exposed to cigarette smoke in large amounts I have to wash everything I'm wearing because I find the smell so repugnant.

Banning smoking in public places is legitimate to an extent, but defending bans in the name of savings is unacceptable: should we not allow certain foods be eaten because people might be more likely to become obese and clog up our healthcare system? How about we outlaw tanning salons because customers are more likely to develop skin cancer?

If we're take away a right from a certain group of people, there needs to be an overwhelming right currently being violated from another group (e.g., inhaling cigarette smoke) that taking away right A would aleviate -- money is not sufficiently overwhelming.

Answer 4

NO! Number one smoking is not the only health problem facing this country. You have obesity. Remember smoking is a physical as will as a physiological addict. Most people who quit pack on the pounds. Add to more obesity. Lets say now you have taking the smoke out. You still have the green house effect which is believed to bring respiratory problems as well. There is still pollution more respiratory problems. Then there is drink and driving= car accidents. Yep that adds to the problem of health care costs too.
Okay you got America to quit smoking! Gee you got it to stop drinking too and cut back on the pollution which is leading to the green house effect.
What possible problem could you have now? How about the government needs to make up for the tax loss revenue generated by the smokers. what to do tax your health insurance. Now that it's come down because people are living healthier lives. Sounds outrageous right. However think about it. The government well tax your property if your the beneficiary. It will tax your life insurance policy. If your Spouse dies you have to pay taxes on the half of property that was theirs

Answer 5

No, because there is a huge difference between the actual cost of health care and the real cost being charged to the consumers. Healthcare is a huge scam, and any savings in actual payouts of insurance claims as a result of fewer smoking related illnesses will be enjoyed only by the executives and adminstrators of the health care industry. It's a business above all else, and "health" is involved only on a secondary level.

Answer 6

Are you kidding me? Yes, actual costs for health to the former smokers and thier passively (2nd hand) smoking friends & family will drop significantly, especially if you consider the percentage that would have ended up with Cancer, Emphysema, etc.
Will these savings be passed on the average consumer in terms of reduced Dr.'s rates, lower insurance costs, etc. ? Nope. "Medidcine" is one of the largest of big industries in America, and they have no intention of giving up any ground. Ref. the battle against preventative alternative healthcare that does not require a Dr.'s Rx, etc.Plenty of controlled clinical trials done in European countries, mainstream media here does not pick those stories up.
Natural (plant based) cures in their whole form cannot be patented and thus controlled by any one Company for profit.
Approximately 95% of all medicine is made from natural substances (mostly plants), but with chemicals added & only the "active" ingredient considered worth using.
The result is what we euphamistically refer to as side effects, ie. trading one set of symptoms for another, preferably more tolerable set of symptoms.
What will really change the monster profits of Western medicine is the process of more & more patients becoming pro-active, well-informed consumers who learn how to take care of themselves (except for surgeries, emergencies, antibiotics, etc.).
Researching alternative health care modalities will shed a lot of light on the topic of possibilities for a more positive, patient-centered (vs. disease centered) system of practicing medicne, otherwise known as holistic healthcare.
Good luck and happy hunting with this topic!By the way, did you know that the average percent of stock profits on Drug Company stock is 24%, ccompare that to an average of something like 5 to 12% profit for almost any other type of stock, and that speaks volumes about the industry.

Answer 7

Since smoking shortens a person's life span, healthcare costs would rise due to the overall increase in life expectancy.

Answer 8

Yes, if everyone quit smoking, healthcare costs would go down a lot. However, there are other pressing healthcare concerns like obesity and diabetes. Violence from crime also affect healthcare costs.

Answer 9

No, because more people would die sooner and cut the cost
of healthcare for them, but should lower the cost of life insurance.

Answer 10

The less people that smoke means that lung cancer rates will probably drop. However, our bodies will still age and deteriorate; so healthcare costs will not be affected in the longrun.