\u201cIt\u2019s the context of people\u2019s lives that determines their health,\u201d\u009d said a World Health Organization report on health disparities. \u201cSo blaming individuals for poor health or crediting them for good health is inappropriate.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
I must admit I often feel like my colleagues who grouse about spending all day treating patients who do not seem to care about their health and then demand a quick fix. I do not relish paying more taxes to treat patients who engage in unhealthy habits. But then I remind myself that we all engage in socially irresponsible behavior that others pay for. I try to eat right and get enough exercise. But then I also sometimes send text messages when I drive.<\/p>\n
The whole point of insurance is to reduce risk. When people inveigh against the lack of personal responsibility in health care, they are really demanding a different model, one based on actual risk, not just on spreading costs evenly through society. Sick people, they are really saying, should pay more. Which model we eventually adopt in this country will say a lot about the kind of society we want to live in.<\/p>\n