Posted on 07/30/2017 8:41:21 AM PDT by Drango
“that might change behavior quicker than any gov’t “plan”
There are unfortunate side effects to changing behavior. Are you going to “grandfather” in reformed smokers, how are you going to determine if the medical problem was caused by smoking and not aggravated by other things, who is going to make these decisions......?
I’m a reformed smoker and haven’t had anything for over 20 years. But I am also both asthmatic and COPD effected. I also have heart disease, high BP, diabetes, and am home bound by the VA. (Means I have, at least, two separate illness over 100% determined)
My illnesses were caused by military actions of being caught by airborne agents such as agent orange in Vietnam, a few different types of weapons in the middle east, and 27 years of chamber work with normally either real tear gas or camphor for training and instructing.
I may be an extreme, but there are others out there already affected that are a lot like me. Where do they stand. And I can promise you as long as the government gets tax income from something, they are not going to stop it. They are not raising the price to deter people from smoking. They are creating more tax revenue.
They always say they are trying to protect us from ourselves. Why? The medical field already had a system to create behavioral modification. It was called a bill. Now with the government changing the system, they are creating a way to continue the habit, not stop it. If it was that bad, they ban it. But the current tax revenue is around $14 billion and was as high as $17 billion in 2010. Yes, we have less smokers, but Uncle Sugar balanced the loss off with higher taxes.
They had the same thing with alcohol. And they banned it. But you’ll notice they now tax the hell out of it and make a bundle of cash. These are two of their favorite cash cows. You won’t stop it, not as long as the government can make money out of it.
rwood
I have worked in the ER for over 20 years, and this article is total BS. The main cause of the health-care crisis is OBESITY and drug abuse, not smoking. I see people younger and younger (teens, 20’s) who have diabetes (and all the complications that go with it) because of being too fat! Obesity is a far greater problem in this country than smoking!
.the fifteen percent of the adult population which impose an unnecessary $322 billion dollar a year cost on all taxpayers,
COULD the SAME hold true for Grossly Obese people?
It depends on the quality of the dope. Pot smokers inhale as deeply as cig smokers and then hold it in their lungs as long as possible. Been there done that. If they are going to pick on tobacco smokers they should do the same for all smokers of anything. And if this is truly about health, which apparently it is not, they should pick on drinkers, fast food eaters, motorcyclists, skydivers, hang gliders, base jumpers, bungee jumpers, scuba divers, surfers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists.
“Less nicotine. So 1 pack a day smokers go to 2 or 3 packs per day. Brilliant.”
Yeah, that’s a win-win! Both the government and the tobacco companies win!
As far as health care is concerned, tell the Medicare smokers that they won’t get care for any health-related problems that are directly attributable to their smoking. It won’t get all the smoking-caused illnesses, but it will get a big chunk of them.
“They die younger so they don’t deplete social security”
Some do,some don’t.
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Obesity is a huge issue, and this whole fat acceptance movement is crazy.
Well said. Self righteous do-good ears can go to hell. And, if we are ever successful in restoring the rule of law and the constitution the federal government won’t be able to endlessly bother our citizens at the behest of self righteous busybodies who use the government as a club to force their will upon us. I for one a sick of it.
“The American Lung Association estimates that smoking costs the American economy... some self serving amount they make up out of thin air.”
Irrational comments, you must be a smoker!
I don’t even know why smokers are allowed to get subsidized insurance under Obamacare.
It reminds me of the low flow showers and toilets. You have to do 2 flushes to get the job done and also prolong your showering time to get clean.
“Bill Clinton claims he didn’t inhale when he smoked pot, in order to distance himself from “pot smokers”. Most inhale pot.”
Yeah, and he also told Juanita Broadrick that she didn’t have to worry about getting pregnant by him because he was “shooting blanks.”
How quickly we forget about the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, a minimum of 206 billion dollars to the states over 25 years. All that money could have invested to pay for future health costs of smokers, instead it was treated as “free money” and used to balance state budgets and float bond projects.
It’s amazing that the hatred on this board towards smokers is rivaled only by that of liberals for Trump supporters. smh
“The ones I see and just described are on EBT and medicaid, get meals on wheels, have dogs who get no vet care at all. “
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How do you know that the dogs get no vet care and what on earth would that have to do with smoking anyway????
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I don’t even know why (fat-asses) are allowed to get subsidized insurance under Obamacare.
I don’t even know why (drinkers) are allowed to get subsidized insurance under Obamacare.
I don’t even know why (old farts) are allowed to get subsidized insurance under Obamacare.
Ever notice that there is more opposition to smoking cigarettes than there is to smoking marijuana.
You love you some gubmint, don’t you?
Furthermore, an addicted smoker with starve his/her children before giving up smokes.
Once you have a diagnosis as being a smoker or having an illness that is considered permanent you don't get a benefit for it ever, for getting it under control
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