Thread: smokers & obese people could be paid to get healthy

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...moking,_Eating

what do we reckon to this? all thats going through my mind is bling bling bling lol. although i don't personally know if it'll be a success, you have to want to do things for YOU and not for monetary gain, once the weight/fags are gone and the moneys stopped rolling in, bad habits may be quick to form again!

I was a smoker, i'm now overweight, I would love some free money!

But seriously I hate the way todays society works. Naughty kids at school get rewards for behaving, what about the poor kids that were always well behaved, what kind of lesson does it show them? I know the trouble it causes, i've seen it first hand.

Maybe the way to do it would be to give a tax rebate at intervals throughout a persons life if they have never had a "self inflicted" illness. This includes smoking drinking drug and weigh related illness but even that would be flawed, sometimes there is a health problem that causes weight gain.

There is no way overweight people should be paid for losing weight, its simply not fair on those that have always been careful, the same goes for smokers.

Originally Posted by CatCrazy

Maybe the way to do it would be to give a tax rebate at intervals throughout a persons life if they have never had a "self inflicted" illness. This includes smoking drinking drug and weigh related illness but even that would be flawed, sometimes there is a health problem that causes weight gain.

my first thought about that would be that people would avoid going to the doctor when they needed it so they could get their money!

Originally Posted by colly strings

my first thought about that would be that people would avoid going to the doctor when they needed it so they could get their money!

Yes, that would be a possibility but like insurance pay outs etc you have to provide proof, in the case of this it would be by way of a medical...if you have no recent up to date medical documents then you would have to have one that came out of your "incentive" pay. Dr found falsifying medical records for patient friends would be in trouble etc.

Basically any way of doing it is flawed but not as flawed as paying smokers and overweight patients to lose weight or quit because its just not fair on those that have always been slim and never smoked.

Just best to leave things as they are I reckon

and how is it going to be policed?

I can't see how it can be policed in any way shape or form. Pay someone to lose weight, as soon as the dosh stops rolling in the weight is likely to go back on and the cash cow starts again.
You only have to have go a few days without ciggies to pass the blow test, if you have fair warning of when a test is due then you just have to go without for a few days to get the money for the next months smokes. I also sat in a car with 3 smokers for a 3 hour journey and failed a blow test despite the fact that I truly hadn't had any...thats all that anyone would have to claim.

It really infuriates me that society is continually rewarding people for bad behaviour.

IMO what is needed is better teaching, we need to be taught how to eat healthy, what causes bad health etc.

CatCrazy there is a test (Cotinine test) which is a blood test & will show any nicotine in their blood this more accurate than a blow test.

What happens if the person puts weight back on or starts smoking again, will they have to pay back the money!!

There are just far too many questions about how, in reality, this would work.

I know about the blood test but as soon as you introduce those kinds of tests the price shoots right up so I can't see them doing that. Then again they like throwing money away when it comes to stuff like that.

I just think its totally unfair to those that have always been careful with their weight and have chosen not to smoke. Imagine if drunk drivers got cheaper insurance than you if they didn't fail a breath test for a set period of time...not much difference in the 2 scenarios really.

When I failed a blow test it was only done out of interest to see how much much smoke I got through passive smoking. High enough to fail a blow test, I would have been gutted if it had have been an official test.

It wont work! I am overweight and I smoke, I completely understand that both of these things are my fault and don't want to be rewarded for my bad behaviour!
However I know plenty of people who like to blame anyone for themselves for their problems and think that this is a great idea and they deserve it!
Having said all this, I could do with a bit of spare cash!!!!

Oh yes, if I was still smoking I certainly wouldn't refuse a cash incentive, and if someone wants to give me cash for any weight loss I'd take it. I'm against it but not enough to refuse cash. Yes I know, I'm a hypocrite! Lol

this whole thing raises a lot of issues.

i will be impossible to police!!! I'm not interested in doing it and don't think its a good idea but can think of ways to cheat with out even trying!!! laxatives, getting weighed with various amounts of clothes on etc....
i think if this goes ahead the amount of people with eating disorders will shoot up!!!

i smoke. i'm over weight. i also have 3 children and DID NOT smoke during my pregnancys which the article brings up. i dont smoke round my children and they are well educated in why you should not smoke and find it rather disgusting so i think the "set a good example" is down to parenting skills same as don't feed your kids crap!

the government can not afford every who smokes to stop the amount of revenue made by the tax on cigarettes FAR out weighs the amount of money the NHS spend on treating illness PROVEN to be caused by some one smoking (just smoking with no other possible contributory factors) I'm not smoking to keep the economy going but its something to think about!

yes the financial intensive is good, but think of the money that you can save not buying the fags!!
also a lot of NHS trusts you can get 12 weeks of SW paid for so would they get free classes and cash???

i know I've said it before so I'm sorry to repeat it but "the fat on my arse comes from the crap i put in my mouth! alcholics wouldnt get a new kidney if they are still drinking" and as far as i know they don't get paid to stay out of the pub!!

if you don't stop smoking you may die sooner. if you don't stop eating the wrong things you may die sooner.
i would have thought that this was enough incentive to stop (very hypercritical coming from me but they are issues i am addressing) if they don't value you life enough to look after it i don't see why my tax should pay to support them!!
if they think that little of their existance to get a grip then in the words off Bill Hicks "people we are not loosing cancer cures here"

i have to say i am fed up with the "lets mess up and get some one else to fix it" culture that seems to be breeding!!

there are a lot of people who are over weight or smoke for lots of reasons and the initial problem that causes that is what needs looking in to, emotional reasons, depressions, stress etc

sorry for the rant, its probably not wise for me to reply to these things when i have just finished a veeeeery long week of veeeery long night shifts

how they could put this in place but have a cut off for child benefit would disgust me, its not a good idea at all, i think it is already awful that drug users get extra benefits, yet investing in a child's future has to be cut, where is the logic? the government is a total disgrace imo.

Its a marvellous idea for me personally, as i'd be quite happy to be paid to lose weight! I have no intentions of putting it back on so yes the scheme would work for me. But know I dont agree with it. People will cheat the money will go to the wrong people it will go to the scroungers that do nothing for society.

However if they would like to use me a pilot tester I am more than happy to oblige!

id be rich if they did this when i started :P... lol

This is interesting, I am both obese and a smoker mores the pity,
I don't expect to get anything for nothing tho and I do accept responsibility for my own actions.
Free stop smoking aids (patches) for those who will legitimately give it a go, I agree with.
Assistance/vouchers towards paying for Slimming World etc classes also a good idea, but the govt should not be handing out actual money to us in any way. Also it should be means tested so only people earning very little get it, I don't mind paying it myself.

xx