It wouldn't be fair to make healthy people who make proper choices pay for those who are careless or lazy with their lives. Perhaps a two tiered system. Heavy drinkers, smokers and obese people in one group and others who are height and weight proportionate and don't smoke, do drugs or drink heavy in another.
I'm curious to know how other countries deal with issues like these. Let's say in Great Britain you are a smoker. Does your health care differ from a non-smoker? In the film, MM interviewed an NHS? doctor in GB. The doctor said that he gets paid more(similar to a bonus) to prevent diseases, to get people to stop smoking, etc. In a nutshell, if he treats a patient right the first time, he gets paid more(I think that's how he worded it). Many people knock other countries health care systems by saying that gov't paid doctors do not make as much so that would mean their performance would be poorer. Granted, I don't know how many doctors may fit into this description, but this dr from GB was making around 100k pounds a year plus those bonuses for getting people to live healthier lives(I think they figured he made close to $200k US per year). His family lived in a 1 million dollar flat and he drove a new Audi. I'd say he was doing just fine.
In another scene(from GB), prescription drugs only cost around 6.45 pounds?(bad memory, might have been 8 pounds) And it didn't matter what type of drug it was for. And the only group of people that have to pay for it are regular working class folk. Children up to age 16-18?? and seniors over 60 do not have to pay.(someone can correct my ages if I'm wrong)
The government controls many of our utilities. We need gas, water, electricity, etc. I'm not against certain companies trying to make a profit to continue their R&D. The main problem we have in this country is when these companies have to report to its shareholders. A company goes public for one thing - to make money for itself and for those who invest in it. I'm sorry, but health care and pharma should not ever be about the money -- or making more of it.
Katie -- Yes, that is me next to MM.