Cambus741 wrote: This is apalling. See what happens when the Tories are in power https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/03/hospitals-to-cut-costs-by-denying-surgery-to-smokers-and-the-obese

This is the silly season, and the dear old Grauniad is clearly struggling to fill adequate space. This story has been doing the rounds in one form or another for at least the past 30 years, and under governments of both colours.

emigre80 wrote: lazland wrote: Cambus741 wrote: This is apalling. See what happens when the Tories are in power https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/03/hospitals-to-cut-costs-by-denying-surgery-to-smokers-and-the-obese   This is the silly season, and the dear old Grauniad is clearly struggling to fill adequate space. This story has been doing the rounds in one form or another for at least the past 30 years, and under governments of both colours.   yes, I've seen these stories before, but speculative. This seems to relate to a specific authority having made decisions to adhere to certain guidelines.   One point I'd like to make: studies have shown that nicotine is one of the most addictive of all drugs. If the government is willing to allow cigarettes to be sold, and make a profit from the tax, then they have no right to deny treatment to those who become addicted to them.

It's often occurred to me that if you factor the overall cost to the government of NHS spend on smoking related illness against the upside, it probably makes a profit on the deal. On the upside there's not just the tax take but also the saving on state pensions and elder care costs for all the smokers who die twenty or thirty years early.

Decision to deny surgery to obese patients is like 'racial discrimination'

never change, clickbait writers