Seen in the Telegraph:
Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, has given her blessing to the policy of denying operations to smokers until they kick the habit.
Endorsing a position adopted by some health trusts, the minister also voiced support for doctors who order patients to lose weight before treatment.[...]
[S]ome doctors have expressed concern that the stance could be used by some NHS trusts as a means of saving money, while others have questioned the criteria that will be used to judge an appropriate weight for surgery.[...]
Prof Matthew Peters, the head of thoracic medicine at the Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia, claimed that five non-smokers could be operated on for the cost of four smokers, and that their outcomes would be better.
This touches upon the heart of much of my discomfort with the idea of government involvement in health care. If the government is footing the bill and feels budgetary pressures, ugly decisions can be made.
It may be understandable that individuals should make certain decisions to benefit their health…but empowering the government with the authority to say “do this or you’re SOL” requires far more faith and trust in the state than I currently have.