Many people love a drink, and that includes me. But increased financial pressures on Britain's National Health Service do mean something has to give somewhere along the line. For those individuals who drink to excess, then I feel that healthcare costs as a result such as the use of Accident & Emergency, should in theory be reimbursed from those individuals.
I don't support US-style healthcare insurance; I do support what I consider to be desirable ideas which will keep the NHS alive, and protect the principle of healthcare which is free at the point of delivery. If someone is choosing to drink to excess, with a full knowledge of the potential damage they are doing to their body, then I consider it to be questionable as to whether that someone automatically deserves free healthcare treatment. Excessive drinking also very often leads to undesirable anti-social behaviour.
Of course there will be some instances whereby recouping charges may be impractical. For instance, there may be some instances in which it may be difficult to either prove identity, or if the drunken individual is actually culpable themselves for the level of alcohol consumed. I do concede that in some such cases, any legal challenge could incur costs which would make a cost recuperation exercise unworkable. But that said, I would not have thought we are talking about a high percentage here.
When it comes to drinking, I have to admit that I am no saint! But that said I do now normally only drink one night a week, with maybe a couple of extra nights in the winter in which I will have a small whisky sample and/or an extra pint or two if I am at a football match. What I do know is that I have never participated in some of the disgraceful anti-social scenes fuelled by alcohol, which have scarred many British weekends during recent times.
I believe any measure to recoup healthcare costs from individuals who drink to excess, will ultimately only send a positive messsage about how alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour must be corrected!
I don't support US-style healthcare insurance; I do support what I consider to be desirable ideas which will keep the NHS alive, and protect the principle of healthcare which is free at the point of delivery. If someone is choosing to drink to excess, with a full knowledge of the potential damage they are doing to their body, then I consider it to be questionable as to whether that someone automatically deserves free healthcare treatment. Excessive drinking also very often leads to undesirable anti-social behaviour.
Of course there will be some instances whereby recouping charges may be impractical. For instance, there may be some instances in which it may be difficult to either prove identity, or if the drunken individual is actually culpable themselves for the level of alcohol consumed. I do concede that in some such cases, any legal challenge could incur costs which would make a cost recuperation exercise unworkable. But that said, I would not have thought we are talking about a high percentage here.
When it comes to drinking, I have to admit that I am no saint! But that said I do now normally only drink one night a week, with maybe a couple of extra nights in the winter in which I will have a small whisky sample and/or an extra pint or two if I am at a football match. What I do know is that I have never participated in some of the disgraceful anti-social scenes fuelled by alcohol, which have scarred many British weekends during recent times.
I believe any measure to recoup healthcare costs from individuals who drink to excess, will ultimately only send a positive messsage about how alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour must be corrected!
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