“Drop the Health Bill”

[Ludwig]

There is a correlation between alcohol consumption and health problems, having sufficient data to quantify the situation is useful. Many people have the attitude of "oh, that won't hurt you" to justify continuing with their health damaging habit (smoking, drinking, eating factory processed foods, etc). The result is a cost for everybody in paying for treatment to keep them going.

It would be interesting to know whether these costs are greater than the amount gained in tax. I gather this is not true for tobacco, and hence one of the main prongs of the anti-smoking lobby's attack has been discredited.

If you are not drinking, or not drinking much, why the problem with the question? If you are drinking a fair bit, why should you expect the rest of the population to support your treatment of self inflicted health problems, when you're indignant even about answering a question?

To be clear, what I object to is not being asked the question, but doctors being paid extra to ask the question.

If it's so important, why not make doctors ask the question, and give all of them the resources to manage the data?

It just seems strange.

Incidentally, I drink well within the recommended limits, so I can assure you it's not for personal reasons that I feel indignant.

Don't you think being asked a question may offer you less risk of dying early?

Given the state of the world - not really, no.

[Ludwig]

Since doctors get paid for all the work they do does it follow that the 'wad of cash' they receive is the only reason they do the work? And if so, does it matter what their motivation so long as the work gets done well?

I've worked for the NHS and I would say that these financial incentives do adversely affect the work.

If you're in a consultation and you know you need to steer the conversation round to x to ask a question/take info/ perform a test, then you are not fully attending to what the patient is presenting with.

A good practitioner will ask about alcohol, for instance, whenever it is relevant and a payment won't change that. However payments tend to make bad practitioners worse and even tempted to cheat the system.

If you don't think this happens think about what schools do to massage their SATS and GCSE results and what welfare to work companies sometimes get up to with their stats. Both of these occur because 'wads of cash' are on offer.

Thank you Nexus, this was my gut feeling.

Being paid to do a job is one thing, but being paid piecemeal for every bit of extra work is likely to introduce a mercenary ethos into the profession.

I have met many doctors who I am convinced are motivated by things other than money, even if the money, as for most of us, is the reason they get out of bed in the morning.

[RenewableCandy]

Given what I now know I'd be sorely tempted to lie through my teeth if they asked me about alcohol

Anyway, the recommended limit for women keeps changing so I can't remember whether I'm over it this year or not. The other thing is, by the time you're, say, my parents' age (kind-of 80), does it really matter?

[Ludwig]

Given what I now know I'd be sorely tempted to lie through my teeth if they asked me about alcohol

Anyway, the recommended limit for women keeps changing so I can't remember whether I'm over it this year or not. The other thing is, by the time you're, say, my parents' age (kind-of 80), does it really matter?

+1

My grandmother is 93. She is overweight and has eaten nothing but crap all her life and shows no sign of starting now. A little bit of what you fancy etc...