Looking at annual costs, we as a society lose more money to the people who do smoke. But part of those costs, according to Lipman, is paid through excise duties, which the smoker pays himself when buying a pack of cigarettes.
Shorter lifespan
Still, according to the scientist, there is a big but. “If all those smokers quit smoking, they’ll get older and we’ll spend more on health care than if they didn’t quit.” More expensive, so.
The same goes for obese people. “If we look at the life course, they have lower health costs than healthy people.”
Lipman emphasizes that we should not stop with the smoking prevention.
In ‘s video Heart of the Netherlands see Lipman’s conversation with Radio538.
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