Should people who smoke or drink alcohol pay a higher premium than their abstinent peers? At the time when health insurers are upping the premiums, a survey by central statistics agency CBS shows 55 percent of the population thinks they should. What the papers say.

Eerie
In a comment the Volkskrant points out that not only would the bureaucratic implications of a system based on bad behaviour be a nightmare but that ‘having the insurance companies police our lifestyle to see if we are doing our civic duty to remain healthy would be distinctly eerie.’
Mediterranean diet
In the same paper columnist Malou van Hintum takes to the barricades to defend the smokers – ‘the new pariahs’ – who are being marginalised along with ‘the fatties and the drinkers’. But, she argues ‘It’s the well educated with their Mediterranean diet, their running shoes and their hatred of tobacco who are burdening the health system. They live longer, get heart disease, need 24 hour care and new hips and knees goodness knows what else besides. Smokers just keel over.’
If smokers and drinkers have to pay more then the tax on cigarettes and booze should be banned, says van Hintum because between them smokers literally cough up billions of euros. ‘They have paid for health care in advance.’ Much better, she says, to look at the root cause of the problem. ‘Bad habits are predominantly confined to the lower classes. Something in their social environment is causing an unhealthy lifestyle. Do something about that.’
Sunbeds
Arthur van Leeuwen in Elsevier ponders who else could added to the list of health delinquents: ‘Sun bed users who are risking skin cancer, tennis players whose antics on the court plays havoc with their knees and ankles and, yes, according to a recent report, Amsterdam cyclists who are getting more than their fair share of fine dust compared to drivers. They are healthily excercising their way to the lung cancer ward. Expensive.’
The annual discussion about who should pay more is getting a little tiresome, Van Leeuwen says. ‘What is really at stake is: at what cost solidarity? There are only two solutions, as far as I can see. Either we pay less for a less comprehensive basic health package and pay extra for the rest. And it needs to be said that it’s the health insurance companies themselves who are forcing us to buy a package instead of letting us choose à la carte. The other way out is having everybody pay for their own health care, in the knowledge that a great many people, even those who earn over €100,000 – won’t be able to afford it if something really serious were to befall them. And as far as smokers and drinkers are concerned, their final bill will be presented at the grave.’