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The study released this week by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands has caused quite a stir, proposing that lifelong health insurance costs for obese individuals and smokers are actually lower than those for healthy individuals who live years longer.

As it says at Kaiser's Daily Report, "healthy individuals on average had lifetime health care costs of $417,000, compared with $371,000 for obese individuals and $326,000 for smokers, according to the study."

Common sense dictates that since obese people and smokers die younger than healthy people, those healthy people might end up paying more for health insurance.

But here's the thing, the study didn't take into account two very important factors: prescription drugs, and quality of life.

Prescription drugs are a billion dollar enterprise here in the US, and as this generation ages, life spans are being extended due to the use of expensive drugs. Sure, it might cost less for an obese person to die young, but what if that person lives longer due to the use of expensive medications? That's a person who will certainly have very high health insurance premiums.

And then there's quality of life to think about. The leader of the study, an economist by the way, states that "lung cancer is a cheap disease to treat because people don't survive very long." This is true, but isn't it worth another $40,000 to live longer, and enjoy living your life at the same time?

After all, that's what health insurance was originally supposed to provide - piece of mind, and the means to keep living the healthy, happy life that we all deserve.