At Fault

I saw a post yesterday, one of those that would make anyone with even moderately progressive tendencies (like me) scream. It was ranting against public health care and was written in a sarcastic style, sort of like this:

"Of course I want to pay for health care for people who smoke! Or drink excessively! Or get HIV from unprotected sex! Or overdose from taking heroin all the time! Or break all their legs riding their bike recklessly! Or shoves weird things up their butts! Or..." [list goes on of expensive health care situations that are, arguably, the "fault" of the victim).

I have no problem writing this kind of thing off completely. But it did get me to wondering.

My health care system aware sister once asserted that some huge % of health care costs are incurred in the last few months of life (and therefore, things like charging for routine doctor's visits and ER encounters wouldn't move the needle).

But that doesn't take into account the "irresponsible behaviour" angle. My feeling is it must be in the very low single digits % of health care costs. But it would be interesting to know the actual number.

Not that it would really change anything. I mean, no matter how much it's their fault, we probably shouldn't just let them die and/or suffer a financial catastrophe.