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From: werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.consumers,net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: The Hidden Costs of Smoking
Message-ID: <2210@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Jan-86 23:21:36 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.2210
Posted: Mon Jan 20 23:21:36 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 23-Jan-86 20:36:11 EST
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Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
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Xref: watmath net.med:3212 net.consumers:3977 net.politics:13093

> > Technology Assessment.  The report estimated that "the annual medical
> > bill for lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and other ailments
> > directly attributable to smoking runs between $12 billion and $35
> > billion annually." 
> > 

> On the other hand, the retirement funds and social security may save
> a bundle.
>                   --- Piotr Berman

	Of course the oft-repeated comment of Berman's contains an essential
fallacy.  Most deaths by smoking are not quick. They are slow, painful, and
Very Very Expensive.  And Social Security and Medicare (the health insurance
for the Elderly) come from the same trust fund.  Similarly, most retirement
funds also cover some form of health insurance. Hence, no "bundle" is saved,
it is just transferred from one column of the payout to another. Moreover,
health care is far more expensive than health, which is why most insurers
will cut you a deal if you don't smoke or quit.
	Still, I don't think appealing to anyone's sense of the public good
will connvince anyone to stop smoking.  They have to be convinced that it is
in their best interest to quit.  Unfortunately, too many people don't quit
until after they are already coughing up blood.
-- 

				Craig Werner
				!philabs!aecom!werner
           "... you can do anything you want, but not everything you want."