[Epona]

Magik - good post, and an interesting subject.

It is a common misconception that the NHS is funded solely by taxes and is otherwise free in the UK. When the NHS was first introduced, an insurance called 'National Insurance' (know colloquially as the 'stamp') was introduced. Everyone pays national insurance, and it can be thought of as being like a big government regulated insurance policy that pays for healthcare. We pay on top of that for prescriptions, and routine dental and optical charges also. Anyone who wants additional private insurance is free to take out a policy and pay for it.

As far as unhealthy lifestyles go, the proposals are outrageous. We pay huge taxes on cigarettes and beer, part of which goes to fund healthcare. A pack of 20 cigarettes costs around £4.60 (about $7) and a pint of beer in London costs between £2.50 and £3.

I smoke, and every time I buy a pack of cigarettes, the tax I pay on those cigarettes goes at least in part towards any healthcare I may need as a result of smoking! The tax contribution to the NHS from duty on cigarettes, iirc, usually exceeds expenditure on healthcare for smoking related illness. I am already paying for any healthcare I may need as a result of being a smoker!

The government can either butt out of my life, or stop charging me extra on top of a pack of cigarettes.