| Popis: |
For those who have idly wondered, while making ward rounds and seeing a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatic coma, what the cost to society is for heavy drinking—or, for that matter, for smoking or a sedentary life—the authors of this book provide answers. You might discover more than you care to know. Internal costs—individuals' lost wages, partial medical costs, disability, and premature death—are not the issue. Instead, the authors calculate the external costs, that is, the price individuals without these habits have to pay to subsidize those with unhealthy habits. Smokers, it turns out, not only have a reduced life expectancy compared with nonsmokers, but also pay 7 cents per pack more of out-of-pocket medical costs and lose 86 cents in wages and salaries. The external cost of smoking (ie, the cost to society) is about 15 cents per pack of cigarettes. The lifetime external cost of heavy drinking |
