Exploring Healthcare Costs: A Debate on Smokers' Responsibility

This essay delves into the contentious issue of whether smokers should bear a greater share of healthcare costs due to the health risks associated with smoking. It explores arguments from various perspectives, including the individual's right to make lifestyle choices, the financial burden smokers place on healthcare systems, and the ethical considerations of allocating medical resources based on personal behavior. The essay references studies highlighting the increased risks of complications and diseases among smokers, which lead to higher medical expenditures and insurance rates. It also acknowledges the efforts of governments and non-governmental agencies to reduce smoking through campaigns and policies. The conclusion reiterates that smoking significantly impacts individual health, increases healthcare costs, and poses a challenge to insurance companies, ultimately suggesting that smokers should bear some responsibility for the financial consequences of their habit.

Contemporary Issues in
Healthcare debate

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Smoking is defined as a health risk to the number of individuals and also decrease the
potential for benefits from a variety of medical intervention. In this, a higher level of medical
research is usually shown in the aspect of nicotine which is an addictive substance. There are
some surgical outcomes for example cardiac, respiratory, prosthetic, and spinal surgeries which
also include healing of injuries are demonstrate relatively improved results. If the patient
prevents smoking for the few days before the surgery. There is various study that examines the
effect of smoking that create a negative impact upon the human body and also create the
complications of lung cancer and respiratory disease (Balderrama and et. al., 2017). As per the
given statement that it should smokers’ responsible for their healthcare costs as a result of
smoking be partially corrected. Because it creates various issues regarding the patient and
healthcare sectors study. The risk of impaired wound healing has been estimated 18 times higher
in smokers. Moreover, from this data, it is analyzed that smoking can enhance the issues and
medical condition of a patient in various ways. This is also an addictive substance that is widely
used that creates a condition of lung cancer. As per this, the major problem which arises in the
front of government is to reduce the implications by initiating such intervention such as
campaigning and introducing policies and legislation that is highly funded. However, the people
could not understand the situation and care plan which is implemented by the government in
order to improve the quality of life (Higgins and et. al., 2017).
MAIN BODY
Some physicians in England used to refuse the performing nurse urgent coronary artery
bypass surgery on the smoker. In this, they take the initiative that the patient must stop smoking
in order to make their eligibility for the surgery. Moreover, surgeons have argued that
nonsmokers should be provided more preferences when it takes comparison with smokers for
any surgery based on the elective. In this, when the healthcare cost is applied on the smoker then
due to the habit the individual is not able to restrict themselves for the using of smoke or
nicotine. Whereas, a nonsmoker takes a greater benefit from it and thus, has a greater chance of
complication-free survival. In this, the government and non-governmental agencies also
implement various strategies in order to reduce the complications which arise due to the rising
condition of smoking. Various health care sectors are stated that coronary Bypass surgery should

not be offered to smokers due to the rising fact that smoking will increase the risk of
postoperative complications. The progression of coronary artery disease is also associated with
smoking. So, in order to take the surgery patient must stop smoking. Therefore, the benefits from
the procedure will be highly maximized as per the resulting complications which may have a
chance that may occur (Hulkkonen and et. al., 2019).
Many of them are also argued that smoking is defined as a self-assisted complication that is
associated with the patient. In this, the smoker enhancing the rate of healthcare caused due to
their addictive behavior. Moreover, it is very essential to recognize that the individual is usually
entitled to make lifestyle choices and thus, they cannot deny the treatment based on the choices
that they have a right to make. With this point, the patient and drink in a healthcare facility show
equality despite creating any difficulty for them. In this, medical staff has to develop a helping
nature by maintaining and improving patient health. Therefore, a patient has no authority to
judge when the hospital staff is taking care of it. In this, the smoker’s government spent millions
of dollars for the implementation of a smoke-free environment for the people. As per this, the
adaptive people towards smoking could not change their habit and create critical situations and
sometimes the sudden death occurs (Hutson and et. al., 2021).
The physician is defined as a valued member of the society in which many individuals are
depending on the person for the individual take advice and support when they are facing issues
with the physically or the mentally. As per this, today's concern is that the population is
associated with smoking. So, the healthcare cost is rising in order to prevent such conditions
which may create complications for society. In this, some of the opinions are based on the
smokers which are morally responsible for their medical condition. But, lawfully providing care
include treating differently those who suffer from addiction. It is very essential to understand that
allocating medical resources is based on moral responsibility (Kaul and et. al., 2017).
While taking the aspect of healthcare cost, the people who usually smoke rise the country
cost due to the smoking. Several countries have their legislation and policies towards the
physician in terms of providing treatment when the health care professionals do not provide any
treatment to the smokers due to the loss of health care cost. In this, the healthcare professionals
provide the reviews for the smoker that they are not able to take the benefit of healthcare
equipment or facilities due to the behavior of smoking (van den Brand and et. al., 2020). They
are already maximizing the health care cost in the form of campaigning for the prevention of

smoking. Moreover, the rising situation states the government and non-governmental agencies
funded almost higher than the other situation which arises rather the smoking. In this, smoking
may have higher healthcare cost in terms of various parameters (Palacios and et. al., 2018).
There are high negative impacts of smoking on health which creates a serious illness
within the individual who smokes. This creates cardiovascular diseases which are highly
effective and needed for proper treatment. For treatment, there are high expenses on health which
increase individuals' healthcare costs. This is effective and needs for proper treatment and regular
checkups the declining health and need for continuous treatment and monitoring of health for
better treatment. There is a need for proper healthcare services which have a higher cost and
enhance the overall cost (Kaplan, 2019).
Smoking is one of the major causes of the disease which includes heart disease, cancer and
cerebrovascular and respiratory disease. There is a higher chance of getting the various type of
disease by smokers. Medical resources are used more than a nonsmoker. This creates medical
expenditure and enables them to spend a large number of costs for their expenses of hospital and
visits to a physician. This creates high expenditure for their healthcare. It has been evaluated that
is smokers consume high medical care and have a shorter life expectancy which includes medical
expenditure of about 43% for males along with 29% for females. Many Insurance companies
increase their insurance rate for the person who smokes. There is certainly an increase in the
insurance rate which proves that smokers are costing the insurance company more money than
non-smokers. Health and insurance companies can calculate the data for determining health
insurance rates for any individual who smokes. There is a higher risk for creating client premium
rates. There are a large number of smokers who require health insurance and due to suffering
from a different disease caused due to smoking. This creates a high cost for healthcare. This
higher health care cost increases for high finance which individuals are sometimes not able to
afford it. Due to this, the Insurance company charges a much higher premium to recover the cost
of expensive future medical expenses (Richards, 2017)
CONCLUSION
Smoking causes great damage to the nation and increases insurance rates. There is a
various negative impact on individual health who smoke. This also increases the healthcare cost
for their better treatment. In this, it increases their healthcare cost for getting better health care
treatment and related services. This overall increase individuals' healthcare cost and enhance the

loss for an insurance company. It can be observed that there is a difference between non-smokers
rather than smokers in health care settings. Because the life expectancy of a non-smoker is higher
than the smoker. There is also an increased rate of insurance way to smokers other than
nonsmokers. This is to recover the cost of healthcare in the future. There are also many disease-
related the smoking which causes severe illness to them with a serious illness. Smokers get
different healthcare services with are expensive and create healthcare costs. So, it can be
concluded that they are responsible for their healthcare cost and as a result of smoking.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Balderrama and et. al., 2017, November. Design of effective interventions for smoking cessation
through financial and non-financial incentives. In Healthcare management forum (Vol. 30,
No. 6, pp. 289-292). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Higgins and et. al., 2017. Financial incentives for reducing smoking and promoting other health-
related behavior change in vulnerable populations. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and
Brain Sciences, 4(1), pp.33-40.
Hulkkonen and et. al., 2019. Smoking as risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome: a birth cohort
study. Muscle & nerve, 60(3), pp.299-304.
Hutson and et. al., 2021. Evaluation of smoking as a modifying factor in chronic
rhinosinusitis. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 147(2), pp.159-165.
Kaplan, 2019. The impact of inflammatory bowel disease in Canada 2018:
epidemiology. Journal of the Canadian Association of
Gastroenterology, 2(Supplement_1), pp.S6-S16.
Kaul and et. al., 2017. Modifiable health-related factors (smoking, physical activity and body
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Palacios and et. al., 2018. Depression and anxiety symptom trajectories in coronary heart
disease: Associations with measures of disability and impact on 3-year health care
costs. Journal of psychosomatic research, 104, pp.1-8.
Richards, 2017. Tobacco control, medicaid coverage, and the demand for smoking cessation
drugs. American Journal of Health Economics, 3(4), pp.528-549.
van den Brand and et. al., 2020. Cost‐effectiveness and cost–utility analysis of a work‐place
smoking cessation intervention with and without financial incentives. Addiction, 115(3),
pp.534-545.