Richard P, West K, Ku L (2012) The Return on Investment of a Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Program in Massachusetts. PLoS ONE 7(1): e29665. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029665
“Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in an estimated 450,000 annual premature deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths. It is responsible for roughly 30% of all cancer deaths, for nearly 80% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and for early cardiovascular disease deaths. More than one-third of the smoking-attributable years of potential life lost are related to cardiovascular disease. The annual economic burden of smoking in the U.S. has been estimated at nearly $193 billion in direct medical costs and productivity losses. While the life-time prevalence rate for adult smokers in the U.S. population is about 20% of this rate is about twice as high among adults insured by Medicaid. Smoking-related medical costs are responsible for 11% of Medicaid expenditures, representing an estimated $22 billion in 2004…The state of Massachusetts initiated early efforts to provide comprehensive tobacco cessation medications and services to low-income Medicaid enrollees under its Tobacco Cessation & Prevention Program, starting in 2006…Research by Thomas Land, et al. found that this program reached a substantial share of smokers in Medicaid, achieving about a 37% use rate, and was successful in contributing to a 10% reduction in the rate of smoking by Medicaid beneficiaries…”
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