Do you think if we had universal healthcare in the USA people would drink and smoke more?

Question

Drunks, smokers and drug users may have less incentive to quit because, in the end, the government would take care of them?

What do you think?

Answer 1

No, because under a universal healthcare system, people would die waiting for a doctor's appointment.

Answer 2

I think your out of your mind.  The only ones who want to control you is Rep's and they are thinking about taxing people who are fat.

Answer 3

I think that is a bad assumption. I have good insurance and I still try to keep my body healthy.

Answer 4

We need to reform our health care and stay away from the universal coverage.I live and work in Michigan at a hospital and we get a lot of Canadians here that are turned down because they do not fit the criteria in there universal health care plan,these people that come to us are desperately sick,its a shame to tell someone no,even if the chances are slim that they would survive,from my experience that system doesn't work,imagine someone telling you that you need surgery but you have to wait 6 months,if the chest pain gets to bad then go into the ER and we will try to squeeze you in,s***w that.I don't know if people would carry on more with unhealthy habits if the government stepped in with a universal health plan,they cant even find one dirty little arab hiding in a cave,how the h**l are they going to take care of us all when we get sick,I don't want anyone to dictate what I do in an emergency,the plan we have now,even though its all screwed up is still better than a universal plan

Answer 5

i don;t know about that but people might get to get to a doctor more often than those who don;t have health care now  

Answer 6

No, if the U.S. had universal healthcare like every single other highly developed country in the world, then smoking and drinking would probably go down. Why? Because people wouldn't be so depressed & hopeless, living in a country where they can't afford to pay for serious illnesses much less preventative care.

Families all over America are financially wiped out, lose their homes, and empty their retirement accounts trying to pay for just one serious illness in the family. Newsflash: citizens of the other developed nations who have universal healthcare do not think the U.S.A. is the greatest country and wouldn't live here on a bet, precisely because our healthcare system is such a mess.

Answer 7

I don't think so.  I can only speak for myself, but having health insurance does not make me anymore eager to go through the flu, let alone cancer.  

Answer 8

Yes, universal health care is not the way to go.  If it does happen (hopefully not) fit, and hard working people will start having to pay for the unhealthy, lazy people.  If universal health care happened it would take months to get a doctor.

Answer 9

The abuse rate would probably go down a little. Although abuse is largely cultural, countries that have universal health-care actually have lower abuse rates. I'm not sure of the reason.

Answer 10

no way. drinking and smoking shorten lives. who really cares if the government pays for it or not....you can't take that moeny you saved with you when you die at 50.

Answer 11

i doubt it. people do their amounts o damage reguarlesss of that. i mean they already know the precussions and i doubt before they have a cig they're all "oh maybe i shouldn't do this since we don't have universal healthcare blah blah blah" ya noe? they're obviously not thinking about their heath in the first place. just doesnt work out that way to me.... [: