Why is lung cancer better than obesity?

Lung cancer kills quickly and thus holds down costs. Obesity causes increases in chronic diseases that are unusually costly. Are we ready for a fat tax?

The debate over health care reform has so far revolved around how insurers, drug companies, doctors, nurses and government technocrats might be persuaded to change their behavior. ... there has been far less discussion about how the rest of us might also change our behavior. ... A natural response to this cost would be to say that the people imposing it on society should be required to pay it.

Incentive alignment, anyone?