[Mr Ramsbotham]

In the U.K., smokers and the obese pay taxes at the same rate as everybody else to support the NHS. If they were not taxed, they would use those moneys to fund their own treatment for conditions they had imposed upon themselves. How fair is it then, for the government to take their money and deny them treatment?

[exDemMom]

In the U.K., smokers and the obese pay taxes at the same rate as everybody else to support the NHS. If they were not taxed, they would use those moneys to fund their own treatment for conditions they had imposed upon themselves. How fair is it then, for the government to take their money and deny them treatment?

Isn't that at the heart of the matter? First, convince people that everyone should pay equally for health care. Next, decide that certain people are less deserving of health care than others. Would such a scenario happen if the burden of paying for health care were shifted back to the individual instead of the collective?