Does universal health care impede civil liberties?
Monday, July 13, 2009 by mtt admin
We are very fortunate to have free health care in this country, but with privilege comes responsibility.
It is within our interests to keep healthcare costs down to maximise the NHS’s ability to treat us properly. For example, smoking costs the NHS £1.4 billion pounds a year. So in theory we are all better off quitting smoking, saving our health and saving the NHS money. As we know though, life doesn’t work like that and we often treat privileges as a right.
As observed when the smoking ban came in, insisting on quitting is seen as a violation of civil liberties. It is our decision if we want to put our health at risk and our tax money goes into keeping the NHS and its services, so essentially, its our money to waste.
So what are we to do? Continue to haemorrhage cash out of organisation designed to help us at the price of protecting our civil liberties or is the greater good of the NHS and our health worth sacrificing our freedom of choice for?
I am staying impartial on this one, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
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Heidi Says:
Listen Mr Blogger it is only fair if you state your opinion too..it would be nice to hear what you have to say, think and feel about this too...do you smoke???
I will respond shortly as soon as I hear your view! ;0)
Heidi Says:
Smoking a wise investment?
I am no smoker, never have been nor intend to start smoking now... .I am so sorry to say this yet in my opinion it’s surely is a disguising, revolting and expensive habit, that I would not recommend to anybody, including you Mr Blogger!!!!! I suppose if you like, care for, or are inspired by someone why would you recommend such a thing that would impact their health! I suppose it would be like smoking in front of your children knowing the risks of passive smoking or smoking whilst pregnant, knowing the risks and watching it happen. Just, because the harm that you are doing is not visible to the naked eye, that doesn’t mean that, you are NOT hurting them, when in fact you are indirectly.
Yet, I have never understood why individuals smoke in the first place...does it make you feel more prestige? Does it make you happy? Does it make you lose weight? Does it help when you are stressed? Is it because everyone smoking and you don’t want to feel left out socially? Why do you smoke anyway??? Is it fashionable? Do you feel more in control of yourself, your emotions when you smoke? It’s quite a difficult question to answer even my acquaintances, that do smoke struggled yet couldn’t respond. I guess a lot of people smoke for the sake of smoking, yet never really questioned or reflected on why…until it becomes a serious health issue like anything else…
Yet I have become to acknowledge from my acquaintances that do SMOKE that it is one habit most difficult to leave behind, its addiction and charm can be seen as irresistible by some. Plus it.. not just the lungs it’s the trips to the Dentist in becoming a frequent patient of and its costs later on in life. Therefore I do question if smoking is a wise investment and why people still continue to do so.
Yet in my case I have no choice yet to leave, I can smell that odour from a mile…as it hits my eyes, nose and throat gosh I feel suffocated hence get the symptoms …what can I say I have an allergy to such smoky atmospheres….if my partner smoked I would have filed a divorce by now on the grounds of being allergic to him…lol…that sure would be a good excuse in court…lol. and I am sure it would have been granted under the grounds of un……!
From my perspective when the smoking ban was introduced I jumped up and down with joy, as my social life was rather restricted as I had to battle across the mist of fogs coughing. Yet looking around, the smoking ban it hasn’t ban individuals from smoking it just has restricted individuals on where they can smoke, yet those that do smoke have kindly adapted to smoking outside the premises quite happily.
At the end of the day, the role of the NHS is the assist individuals in the best way they can, if the government show that they care by introducing measures like smoking restrictions, get help quit schemes on the house, in your best interest in sickness and in health then I think you have nothing to lose, yet to gain. Plus you will be surprise what you can do if you try…EFFORT =REWARD!
In any thing that you do, there’s a choice and within that choice there will always be consequences, and if you choose not to take that opportunity then it becomes your choice.
Having worked for the NHS, some time ago, if anyone is considering quitting smoking, assistance can be obtained by the following link:-
Highly recommended…for those who want to....
http://www.hobtpct.nhs.uk/your_health/healthy_living/smoking_cessation/default.asp
All the best ;0)
Have to go …..Bye
Heidi Says:
Smoking a wise investment?
I am no smoker, never have been nor intend to start smoking now... ….I am so sorry to say this yet in my opinion it’s surely is a disguising, revolting and expensive habit, that I would not recommend to anybody, including you Mr Blogger!!!!! I suppose if you like, care for, or are inspired by someone why would you recommend such a thing that would impact their health! I suppose it would be like smoking in front of your children knowing the risks of passive smoking or smoking whilst pregnant, knowing the risks and watching it happen. Just, because the harm that you are doing is not visible to the naked eye, that doesn’t mean that, you are NOT hurting them, when in fact you are indirectly.
Yet, I have never understood why individuals smoke in the first place...does it make you feel more prestige? Does it make you happy? younger? older? Does it make you lose weight? Does it help when you are stressed? Is it because everyone smoking and you don’t want to feel left out socially? Why do you smoke anyway??? Is it fashionable? Do you feel more in control of yourself, your emotions when you smoke? It’s quite a difficult question to answer even my acquaintances, that do smoke struggled yet couldn’t respond. I guess a lot of people smoke for the sake of smoking, yet never really questioned or reflected on why…until it becomes a serious health issue like anything else…
Yet I have become to acknowledge from my acquaintances that do SMOKE that it is one habit most difficult to leave behind, its addiction and charm can be seen as irresistible by some. Plus it’s not just the lungs it’s the trips to the Dentist in becoming a frequent patient of and its costs later on in life. Therefore I do question if smoking is a wise investment and why people still continue to do so.
Yet in my case I have no choice yet to leave, I can smell that odour from a mile…as it hits my eyes, nose and throat gosh I feel suffocated hence get the symptoms …what can I say I have an allergy to such smoky atmospheres….if my partner smoked I would have filed a divorce by now on the grounds of being allergic to him…lol…that sure would be a good excuse in court…lol. and I am sure it would have been granted under the grounds of un……!
From my perspective when the smoking ban was introduced I jumped up and down with joy, as my social life was rather restricted as I had to battle across the mist of fogs coughing. Yet looking around, the smoking ban it hasn’t ban individuals from smoking it just has restricted individuals on where they can smoke, yet those that do smoke have kindly adapted to smoking outside the premises quite happily.
At the end of the day, the role of the NHS is the assist individuals in the best way they can, if the government show that they care by introducing measures like smoking restrictions, get help quit schemes on the house, in your best interest in sickness and in health then I think you have nothing to lose, yet to gain. Plus you will be surprise what you can do if you try…
In any thing that you do, there’s a choice and within that choice there will always be consequences, and if you choose not to take that opportunity then it becomes your choice.
Having worked for the NHS, some time ago, if anyone is considering quitting smoking, assistance can be obtained by the following link:-
Highly recommended…for those who want to....
http://www.hobtpct.nhs.uk/your_health/healthy_living/smoking_cessation/default.asp
All the best ;0)
Have to go …..Bye
Henri Salles Says:
I live in the US where there is no universal health care yet.
There is an easy solution to the dilemma though:
Pass on the £1.4 billion pounds cost to smokers under the form of a tax increase on cigarettes!
I am not a smoker!