Do you agree that smokers should be refused some elective surgery and why?

Question

It appears there is a push here in Australia to discirminate against smokers who want elective surgery. The reason given is that smokers are slightly more inclined to suffer infection following surgery and so cost the health system more.
As a smoker I know that more than 70% of the retail cost of cigarettes and tobacco in Australia is payment of taxes. This is in addition to the 10% GST and in addition to income tax and in addition to all the other taxes we have....

Smokers who smoke a pack of 25 cigarettes a day for a year spend something like $4015 for their pleasure every year. Of this amount nearly $3000 is in taxes.......

Soooooooo My point is that we contribute an awful lot to the taxes i this country that is money going into the health system that would not be there if we all stopped smoking tomorrow...

Do you still think we should be denied what is available to others?

Some extra points to consider before answering.
1) the push to deny elective surgery to alcholics and drug addicts does not exist even though they too face the risk of infection and slower recovery rates
2) there is no push to deny elective surgery to the elderly or very young based on slower recovery rates either.

the $3000 I mentioned would be per year and I can not imagine any one needing elective surgery every year or even every ten years but if it was every ten years then I think the $30 000 in taxes over the ten years covers a few extra days in hospital...

Hmmm on second thoughts perhaps we should be granted the best of everything our medical system offers since we are paying for it...

Answer 1

Not only are smokers people too but they are no less deserving of good positive medical care.

I do believe that the incidence of illness which is related to smoking to will rise per capita of smokers since the introduction of those wholly negative health messages that smokers are being psychologically bombarded with on every pack....

Medicine has long accepted that words and images are powerful tools which can either positively or negatively affect ones health but it is accepted that seeing a negative image about ones health over and over can lead to the mind creating the illness or condition to meet the expected image..

something more to think about..

Answer 2

Despite the contribution that smokers make to the health system via tobacco tax, in my opinion this is discriminatory. Doctors should not be able to show fear or favour. Everybody should have equal access to health as a right and without prejudice. At present the doctor who made this proposal was suggesting it is implemented in instances of elective surgery only. However, waiting for elective surgery can exacerbate one's condition, cause further problems, permanent disability and reduce one's quality of life. If this is introduced then where does it end.

Regardless of how damaging smoking is it is legal and highly addictive. There is no doubt that it does and may contribute to health problems and complications. On the other hand a number of people present with health problems that they have themselves contributed to in some way. In my opinion it is dangerous , discriminatory and against the principles by which doctors swear to conduct themselves to start imposing their own worth and value judgements towards patients.

Answer 3

That $3,000 is supposedly covering the non-elective surgery/treatment that smokers cost the government. Whether that is accurate or not, I don't know. However, smoking should not be used as a criteria for denying health coverage that is afforded to non-smokers (as I said, smokers are supposedly covering smoking-related illness through taxes).

As an American, I don't know what is covered in socialized medicine, but I don't think that smokers should be singled out from the rest of the population.

Answer 4

of course not, the VA in america is overburdened by these people, who drink and smoke, and have no money to pay, of course not, they are veterans and if they were not, they are people, they can be annoying at times and they know it, and most of them want to stop and are sorry they ever started, some of them are great people, how could you tell someone's mom or dad because they smoke they should be denied, they realize they are doing something unhealthy, but to deny them, NO< nor are they to be made to feel foolish or anything else negative, smokers are great, yes, some of my best friends are smokers, and all the smokers who died in the service of this country heroically and non heroically, i would rather overlook their habit, than deny them something,they deny themselves enough and need help and encouragement, so stop trying some scare tactic or making them feel negative, smokers are people who feel and care about economy and overburdened systems too, no they should not be denied not even insurance

Answer 5

Yes I agre that smokers shouldn't be allowed to have elective surgeries because they killing themselves anyway.

Answer 6

Smokers deserve the same rights as the next person!
they tried this years ago
are they going to stop overweight people
ones who drink
diabetics because they cant stop eating yummy things
the elderly
No!
They have to wake up & stop picking on a few people

Answer 7

I don't know as I live in the US. We have a tremendous amount of snobbery when it comes to smoking. In many states we can't smoke in bars (for crying out loud, in BARS) yet we continue to pollute our air from millions of cars and massive amounts of carcinogens from factories. No, I don't think that it is right but is sounds like our liberals must have left our shores ahead of the Mexican invasion and hit your beaches with their prejudices. Sorry about that.

Answer 8

i dont mean to sound rude, but why should elective surgery be performed on people who are knowingly killing themselves?

Answer 9

no beacause people are people and it doesnt matter if they smoke or not because everyone shuld have a chance to live....i know iknow......im not a hippy tho...good luck with your question sounds like you care a lot about america