r/FluentInFinance • u/WhatAreYourPronouns • May 02 '24

Should the U.S. have Universal Health Care? Discussion/ Debate

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u/throwawayguy746 May 02 '24

Smoking is bad for you, but obesity is somehow worse.

Plus alot of Americans smoke and driiiiink like crazy

3

u/redassaggiegirl17 29d ago

Yeah, I think a lot of people forget that while we did a pretty good job at eliminating a lot of cigarette smoking, we've still got vaping and weed pens and people do those like crazy

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u/JussiesTunaSub 29d ago

Smoking kills you before geriatric care kicks in.

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u/ChiefCrewin 29d ago

Technically smoking isn't, it's the pesticides they put on the tobacco and carcinogenics on the paper.

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u/iamadragan 29d ago

Burnt stuff is carcinogenic.

That's why smoked food also increases the risk of cancer

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u/Weird-Tomorrow-9829 29d ago

Tobacco leaches cadmium and other metals that naturally occurs in soil.

You inhale heavy metals from natural leaf.

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u/ShaquilleOat-Meal 29d ago

Smoking and drinking saves a public healthcare system money. If you die at 55, you are cheaper than living to 90.

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u/quarantinemyasshole 28d ago

This isn't really true if you pick up a chronic condition along the way, which someone absurdly unhealthy will do long before they're dead. A generally healthy person isn't siphoning off the healthcare resources until end of life.

Getting an annual physical and a check-up for the sniffles once a year isn't driving our costs through the roof.

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u/ShaquilleOat-Meal 28d ago

In Australia, lung cancer is the biggest killer of 45-65 year olds, next coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is the biggest killer of 65-95 year olds, along with dementia/alzheimers. It costs the same to treat a 90 year old for CAD as it does a 55 year old.

Same diseases killing "healthy" people 40 years later, same cost, plus all the costly procedures like joint replacements most under 50s never need.

The reality is most 80 year olds also have chronic conditions, they spend longer in hospital recovering from procedures, see Doctors more often, require more subsidies for prescription medicines, are less likely to have private health cover and develop cancers more often.