[Wyoming23]

Isn't this a natural aspect of any system of government run "universal" healthcare?

If the state is paying for and controlling your access to healthcare, it seems obvious that restricting unhealthy food or behavior as preventative healthcare would go hand in hand.

[tsimionescu]

No, because most states with a state-run healthcare system simply recognize that health is a basic human right. It's not about incentives, or efficiency, it is about basic human decency.

Even a drug addict who practices unsafe sex and riding motorcycles to do mountain climbing and ski down the slope deserves Healthcare when something bad happens to them, exactly as much as the fitness yoga guru.

[kwijybo]

As a counter example, look at how many countries have state funded healthcare with restricting unhealthy food or behaviour. By my count 66 countries have state funded health care and 0 have restrictions on unhealthy food or behaviour, (I admit my count was limited)

[jodrellblank]

> "0 have restrictions on unhealthy food"

We do have those restrictions. Consider the UK's Bradford Sweet Poisoning of the 1858 when the standard of putting gypsum as cheap filler in sweets instead of more expensive sugar lead to an accident of using arsenic instead, and lead to regulations on danerous behaviour by chemists and on the adulterations of foodstuffs - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1858_Bradford_sweets_poisoning

Trans fats have been regulated, e.g. in Canada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat_regulation#Canada

The UK has a sugary drink tax: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugary_drink_tax#United_Kingdo...

And of course there are regulations on insect contamination, mould and fungal contamination, on use by dates, on permitted/banned additives and preservatives, on quality of packaging material, on preparation and handling of eggs; the most egregious "unhealthy food" that causes serious sickness and death quickly has been restricted. What's left is a lot of "compounds over a lifetime of it" kinds of things.

And, of course, public smoking bans are an unhealthy behaviour restriction, so are drug bans.

[Wyoming23]

So in the 66 countries you're referencing, none have restrictions on alcohol or tobacco? No warning labels, taxes or restrictions on sale?

None have different tax rates for staple foods than for packaged snacks or fast food? None have regulations about labeling of food for health claims or disclaimers?

Because all of those things are common throughout all the European countries I'm familiar with, but maybe your list didn't include any European countries

[zo1]

It can occur in free, capitalist societies too. And not in the sense that they "restrict" like an omnipotent government, instead they discourage what is bad and promote what is good. E.g. we have private medical health care here in SA and one of the biggest providers offers all sorts of free goodies and incentives and discounts. They literally partner with stores to get you discounts and points on healthy food choices. Now, I know they also use this data for other purposes but they also happen to help the health of the market. If we can keep it up without having the profit motive distort the benefits too much then its a win win.