NY Times on West Virginia’s personal responsibility approach to Medicaid. This approach should be universal:

Ignoring doctors’ orders may now start exacting a new price among West Virginia’s Medicaid recipients. Under a reorganized schedule of aid, the state, hoping for savings over time, plans to reward “responsible” patients with significant extra benefits or “” as critics describe it “” punish those who do not join weight-loss or antismoking programs, or who miss too many appointments, by denying important services.

This guy doesn’t look too happy about it:

“I told them I eat what I want to eat and the hell with them.”

“I’ve been smoking for 50 years “” why should I stop now?” he added for good measure. “This is supposed to be a free world.”