No Help For Self-Inflicted Wounds

I believe we should take care of our citizens who are unable to take care of themselves, as every civilized country does. In fact, one of the primary marks of civilization (in the highest sense of the word) is that willingness. We don't abandon our sick and helpless to the wolves of this world.
On the other hand, I strongly object to paying for the care of those who choose to shoot themselves in the foot, especially when they do so in the full knowledge of what they are doing.

For instance, I object to paying for medical treatment of people who have knowingly accepted the potential consequences of risky behavior, such as smokers. This category, which I call the Self-Wounded, includes people who ride on motorcycles, especially without helmets. It includes the morbidly obese, alcoholics with liver damage, people who are injured as a result of a wreck resulting from driving at excessive speeds or while impaired, people who poke themselves in the eye with a sharp stick, and probably a host of others with equivalent problems.

The crucial distinction is that the Self-Wounded knowingly chose to engage in risky behavior. I have no objection to this, of course. People should have the right to behave as stupidly and with as much risk as they wish. What I object to is their assumption that if something "goes wrong" and they are injured, the rest of the population should chip in to pay for their treatment. Should we expect the government (i.e. us) or insurance (i.e. us) to pay for medical treatment for conditions known to result from a specific risk?

I propose that Self-Wounded people assume the costs for the specific risks they knowingly take. For instance, I think medical insurance should exclude costs for lung cancer arising from cigarette smoking. For instance, I think medical insurance should not pay for head injuries suffered by motorcyclists riding without a helmet. For instance, I think that medical insurance should not pay for treatment of cirrhosis of the liver for alcoholics. For instance, I think that we should not pay for joint replacement for the morbidly obese or for their heart damage as a result of excessive fats in their diet.

By excluding such conditions from medical insurance or government medical benefits, people engaging in risky behavior would do so knowing that they, and they alone, assume the responsibility for the consequences. Spelling out the exact definitions of "risky behavior" would require some careful thought, time and attention. Clearly there is room for exception, so there would need to be an impartial committee or the equivalent.

I am fed up with paying for the foolishness and irresponsibility of others. It's expensive enough to pay for my own.