Canada is known for it's awesome health care. No matter who you are, most medical care, prescriptions and all that stuff is free. Of course, this brings high taxes but a lot of Canadians don't mind. If you're suffering from Cancer you can afford the treatment that comes with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, as good as this sounds... it is simply getting harder and harder to afford. Our Health Care system is slowly dieing. This is mainly because of the expensive treatment given to those who have smoked cigarettes or eaten ridiculous amounts of McDonalds and rely on the health care system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea of sueing tobacco companies and fast food companies for these health bills has come up. It would be in the billions of dollars. Do you think that these companies should accept responsability for their harmful products? Or is it the person's fault for smoking for 20 years? Should we ditch our health care system, save a few tax dollars and be left to bleed on the street if we can't afford treatment?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I personally like an alternative. Currently cigarettes are taxed alot by the government... but not nearly enough to cover the medical bills. What about raising the taxes to compensate for the bill? I've heard that this would raise the price of a pack of cigarettes to $250 dollars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you guys thinK?

Suing companies for making harmful products is a tricky subject. What makes a product "dangerous"? If smoking a cigarette is a hazard that should be illegal, how come cars aren't illegal? They produce chemicals which break down the Ozone layer. And remember, cars can hit people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do think that people who have been smoking for 20 years or eating McDonalds for three meals a day bring the effects upon themselves. There is a ton of information out there about the dangers of certain products, but yet people keep using them. :?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best way to solve this problem is to raise awareness on the issue. Youth smoking rates are at an all time low, I've heard. I guess all those anti smoking campaigns are working, eh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also support raising taxes on cigarettes. :wink:

Good point on the raising taxes on cigarettes. I personally belive non-smokers should have preference over smokers when it comes to smoking related treatment (Lung cancer etc) - and this is coming from someone who does smoke!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The problem in england with the NHS (National Health Service - free) is that a lot of people come to our country to claim benefits because of our free health service, some being illegal immigrants and others just migrate here. Making the waiting list longer for people who actually pay taxes and who were actually born in this country.

Raise the taxes on cigars / cigarettes please. I hate kids who smoke them on school property. Second hand smoking sucks :cry:

I don't think large companies should be sued for harmful products. They aren't forcing anyone to consume them, and they don't keep the health-values secret. I know McDonalds keeps sheets of the nutritional (or lackthereof) content of all their products on the wall for anyone to look at, and cigarette packages have warnings on them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lawsuits like this are just ridiculous. People just need to use their brains and *gasp* accept responsibility for their poor choices for once.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raise taxes on cigarettes ;) and do something about fast food... maybe eating it voids your health card :lol: I don't know...

im a libertarian (capitalist, not the old european use of the word, if anyone goes by that anymore), so i dont believe in nationalized health care at all. and my sister who lives in canada says the health care sucks, it takes way too long for anything to get done.

Personally i think taxes on tobacco need to be increased, and the anti-smoking under 16 (i think) rule needs to be better enforced, addictions started in childhood can lead to misery in adulthood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also i think anyone sueing companies like MacDonalds for making them fat needs to be sent to a remote desert island and left there, seriously sueing a company for producing a fatty product which you chose to eat is crazy, and an example of the blame culture gone mad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoking also needs to be banned in all pubs and restaurants, passive smoking costs the NHS a ridiculous amount of money each year, and is frankly disgusting.

As a fellow Canadian, I have mixed reactions on the subject. The taxes are high as it is, but suing (sp?) companies for harmful products is not someting to be seriously considered. The Canadian government cannot be held responsible for idiots choosing to kill themselves, and then asking for healthcare. No way.

 

 

 

Here's what I think should happen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certain criteria must be met for you to QUALIFY for health care. Ie if you smoke, you do not qualify for certain health care areas (at least not for free).

 

 

 

Does that make any sense?

As a fellow Canadian, I have mixed reactions on the subject. The taxes are high as it is, but suing (sp?) companies for harmful products is not someting to be seriously considered. The Canadian government cannot be held responsible for idiots choosing to kill themselves, and then asking for healthcare. No way.

 

 

 

Here's what I think should happen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certain criteria must be met for you to QUALIFY for health care. Ie if you smoke, you do not qualify for certain health care areas (at least not for free).

 

 

 

Does that make any sense?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:) compleatly agree 100%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone has free will, so its their own fault for wishing to kill themselves. Dont go sueing fast food inudstries.

The thing with cigarettes are that they are trrribly addictive and people just deny their health issues until they get out of hand, and they place the blame on someone else. They are just suing because they want some extra money as far as I'm concerned. There's no possible way that a person could not know the health effects of smoking. If it wasn't advertised pretty much everywhere, including the pack that they are sold in, then a little bit of observation should be enough, i.e., W"hy am I coughing so often? Why am I always short of breath?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthcare shouldn't cover things like this, just as insurance doesn't cover things which were diagnosed before the claim was made. If you're willing to smoke/eat large amounts of unhealthy food, then you should be willing to pay the consequences, even if it's a $150,000+ bill for lung cancer treatment.