Preventative Health Care Does NOT Reduce Health Care Costs!

I'm taking a break from by "break", so to speak, to address a premise that everyone in this country seems to accept as gospel.  The premise is this:

"A healthier America will reduce health care costs for all".

I've heard this argument over and over again. It is the main talking point in favor of legislation that controls trans-fats, taxes cigarettes, mandates universal health care or any other of a myriad of excuses to expand the role of the Federal government in all of our lives. No one challenges this premise. It sounds reasonable... less fat people, less heart attacks, less diabetes, less money being spent on unhealthy people.

There are a few problems with this argument, and I'm frankly shocked that I haven't heard anyone else put the pieces together.

1. Everyone dies.  I know this is a hard pill to swallow, but we do.  Some die when they are 40, others when they are 90.  If I choose to smoke, drink, and eat 5 cheeseburgers a day and die when I'm 40, am I putting a larger strain on the health care system than if I live a healthier lifestyle and linger on long into my 90's?  I wouldn't think so... that's 50 years of preventative health care we're talking about... probably costs a lot.  The guy who dies at 40 probably hasn't spent much on his own preventative health care so his "footprint" isn't as large as the healthy guy.

2.  Capitalism.  Supply and demand dictates that the more demand a product or service has, the higher price you can charge for the product or service.  If there is a sharp increase in the popularity of preventative health care, the providers will be able to charge more for it. 

3.  More People.  If we are somehow able to legislate our way into a utopian system where there is no obesity, diabetes, smoking, drinking, etc., then a logical conclusion would be that there would be a whole lot less people dying young.  We're already starting to see the Baby Boomer generation enter retirement and we are worried about how we are going to pay for them.  More people = greater health care costs.

Now, I'm not against preventative health care, just the notion that it is the irresponsible among us who are placing a strain on the system.  Bringing the government into our lives by way of bans on trans fats or examining a child's lunch box to ensure that the food pyramid is being followed will not reduce health care costs...

... no matter what the First Lady thinks.