[metesky]

If you want to reduce smoking, require non-smoking as a prereq for receiving medicaid. Or perhaps an ad campaign. But coercive methods such as bans and taxes just won’t work.

So... you seem to believe that requiring non-smoking as a prerequisit for recieving MedicAid is not coercive, correct? How do ya figure?

[ari-freedom]

So... you seem to believe that requiring non-smoking as a prerequisit for recieving MedicAid is not coercive, correct? How do ya figure?
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because you don’t have to be on the government dole. That’s a choice and if you want to get taxpayer’s dollars it is only fair that you meet certain conditions. That’s why I think medicaid should not be an entitlement and should be block granted to the states, just like AFDC turned into TANF and people actually had to try to work to get a check.

Most smokers tend to be the poorest. While this has been shown to prove the cig tax is a ‘tax on the poor’ it also means that many on medicaid are smokers and the country pays more for medicaid because of this. The same is true for obesity. Also more prevalent in the poor population. If you can do anything you want and get help no matter what, you’re not going to change behavior or control costs.