if a person knows they are eating and drinking and living a negative unhealthy life they should have every freedom of right to do so
its a freedom of choice after all
why are people so hell bent on trying to decide whats best for others
right now my favorite ingredient is bvo and its being banned across the planet its no longer in my favorite drink mtn dew at least they’re not labeling it anymore ive messaged the company asking if the ingredient is still in the drink but they ignore this question and wont answer it

all companies have to do is properly label the products
if the food contains unhealthy poison it should be labeled as such
like we do with alcohol and tobacco

this would help those who want to live a healthy lifestyle instead of complaining to get businesses to change the ingredients
these people ether have chosen to ignore those who eat unhealthy and dont notice that they are ruining it for them
or think they can demand to force the world to eat the same healthy way they do

“‘The Center for Science and Environment in India tried a few years ago to figure out the true cost of a hamburger. Assuming that it was raised on pasture that was once rainforest, the ecological services provided by that rainforest, the loss of diversity, carbon sequestration, water cycling, fuel and tropical product sources, among many other things, the cost would come to $200. The U.S. food industry has huge hidden costs, from the agricultural run-off that causes a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico to the cultural destruction wrought by the “Western” diet. There are also huge health costs associated with poor diet — in 2007, $174 billion was spent in the U.S. caring for people with diabetes — as well as the public funds that support the industrial food system.

Cheap food is “cheat food.” There are all kinds of costs that are externalized from the price we pay at the checkout. We pay those costs one way or another — but the food companies don’t. Merely having a system of free markets with accurate prices still doesn’t address the underlying issues of poverty and disenfranchisement.'”
http://aharoonakramlodhi.blogspot.com/2010/01/real-cost-of-hamburger.html

I’m vegan and doing my part to save the world ;)
http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/03/30/save-the-planet-stop-eating-meat/

Also to be clear, I’m from Canada – but we still have insurance for costs that aren’t covered… and I vote Green Party because I like what I read including what they say on focusing on preventative health care… and covering proven alternative therapies etc. :)

I’ve only been watching this website for a short time but it’s giving me lots to think about. :)

— I’m not opposed to allowing people to make dumb mistakes (heaven knows I’ve made some myself)…but if I’m hearing you two correctly, where we differ is that you are advocating that people be allowed to make stupid choices AND not have to deal with the repercussions of those choices (or conversely, not be rewarded like those who make ‘good’ choices, but same thing)…am I reading that wrong? If that’s the case, would you care to elaborate why you feel this way? I’m just trying to understand this way of thinking.

I just think of this: if your unhealthy behaviors clearly make the overall medical expenses for the pool of insured higher (and they can without a doubt prove that a certain activity causes certain negative health consequences), the insurance company HAS to charge you more if they want to stay in business long-term…if they raise rates for the healthy and unhealthy alike, then the healthier people leave because they are the ‘good risks’ and can get coverage cheaper elsewhere and then it just becomes a downward death spiral for the company stuck with the unhealthy.

Great discussion J$ by the way…

This turned into quite a long response so I decided to make a blog post of it instead of leaving a mega-comment!

1) It should not pay for regular maintenance.
2) It can not take into account people who were born with crappy models so to speak.
3) It can not take into account people abusing their cars.

At least I have not seen any policies which do that.

A policy which would work would
1) Have a high deductible.
2) Take into account any and all genetically caused problems to the point where they are not made further problematic by lifestyle problems.