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This question is really morbid. Of course smokers and overweight people should receive healthcare treatment.
People who are overweight or smoke or both are often people who are very stressed. Not having healthcare coverage and the insurance problems, even for people with insurance in the United States, causes more stress.
Some of these people may eat more because of stress, and even begin smoking because of stress.
People who are unhealthy are the people who need help. To say a person did it to themselves is overly simplistic.
Healthcare is for people with healthcare issues. And maybe if smoking was not legal and good food instead of fast food was the norm, or maybe if we were not in a rough economy, if people were not worrying about job stability and political upheaval, maybe in a perfect world no one would smoke or be overweight.
I tend to think that this is a twisted way of thinking, because pretty soon anyone you do not like seems unhealthy and undeserving of care.
One you start to single people out, it goes down deeper to the core of bigger hatreds and prejudices.
The real issue is healthcare itself, not who deserves it or who can afford it.
The fact is that there are junkies and alcoholics and prescription drug addicts out there. There are bulimics and anorexics out there who someone may accuse of not deserving health care. She is skinny and does not smoke, she did that to herself. No one in their right mind throws away perfectly good food when there are starving and homeless people throughout our nation and the world. Not true. That last statement is a judgment, a judgment on condition.
It does not matter why she is so skinny and unhealthy, what matters is that she needs help.
It seems to be a tendency for human beings to get caught up in hatred when greed is involved.
It is a poor person's fault because of charity care that hospitals are closing.
It is that junkie's fault that the Healthcare system does not work.
This is just not true.
Healthcare should be for everyone. Anyone in need of healthcare should have access to it. If we want to eliminate or take care of more issues before they become widespread, then preventive medicine and preventive public medical knowledge would have to spread.
Regardless of a person's condition, I think it would be obscene not to offer a person who is a smoker or who is overweight healthcare.

Learn more about this author, Thaxton Lewis.
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