Medicaid Could Save $10 Billion Over 5 Years if Recipients Quit Smoking, Study Says
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With all the news about government spending on unnecessary items comes news that spending on a program that helps may not be used effectively.
America's Medicaid system could spend $10 billion less in costs for its patients' care over the next five years if they were to stop smoking, according to a new study by the American Legacy Foundation. It also found that effective smoking prevention and cessation programs could cut the cost of fundi 
ng Medicaid by 5.6 percent. This is according to a recent press release issued by the American Legacy Foundation.
According to the report, the costs vary from state to state. In a state such as Wyoming the current Medicaid spending on smoking is $15 million. Meanwhile, in a much more populated state such as New York, that total is much higher, in the amount of $1.5 billion. Overall as a country, if all the smokers on Medicaid quit at the same time it would save the country $9.7 billion according to the press release.
"This report is a wake up call to the nation's health policy makers," said Janet Napolitano, who is the Governor of Arizona and also a board member for the American Legacy Foundation. "All of us who are struggling with the ever-rising costs of Medicaid should take these dramatic findings to heart. With more than 8.6 million Americans suffering from tobacco-related disease, and tobacco remaining the number one preventable cause of death in our nation, we must help smokers quit. These data make clear that investing in proven tobacco cessation programs is sound fiscal and public health policy. We can - and must - take the necessary steps to save both lives and taxpayer dollars.", concluded Napolitano.
America's Medicaid system could spend $10 billion less in costs for its patients' care over the next five years if they were to stop smoking, according to a new study by the American Legacy Foundation. It also found that effective smoking prevention and cessation programs could cut the cost of fundi
Medicaid Could Save $10 Billion Over 5 Years if Recipients Quit Smoking, Study Says
According to the report, the costs vary from state to state. In a state such as Wyoming the current Medicaid spending on smoking is $15 million. Meanwhile, in a much more populated state such as New York, that total is much higher, in the amount of $1.5 billion. Overall as a country, if all the smokers on Medicaid quit at the same time it would save the country $9.7 billion according to the press release.
"This report is a wake up call to the nation's health policy makers," said Janet Napolitano, who is the Governor of Arizona and also a board member for the American Legacy Foundation. "All of us who are struggling with the ever-rising costs of Medicaid should take these dramatic findings to heart. With more than 8.6 million Americans suffering from tobacco-related disease, and tobacco remaining the number one preventable cause of death in our nation, we must help smokers quit. These data make clear that investing in proven tobacco cessation programs is sound fiscal and public health policy. We can - and must - take the necessary steps to save both lives and taxpayer dollars.", concluded Napolitano.
- Smokers will cost Medicaid $10 billion within five years.
- Smoking rates have stopped dropping over the past two years.
- Before that the rate had dropped for seven consecutive years.