Originally Posted by Chris

I am normally very sceptical of state interference but I think we have to recognise the potential distortion the state itself causes to our attitudes to our health via the NHS.

Having a comprehensive health system that is free at the point of delivery is fantastic but carries the risk of diluting personal responsibility. The state is not going to start charging people for treatment of self-inflicted illness like alcoholic liver damage or smoke-induced lung cancer, so I think looking for ways to prevent those illnesses from coming about in the first place is a legitimate pursuit for the state to undertake.