Letter: Bill supports biomarker testing
This letter originally ran in the Lincoln Journal Star.
News
We're defending smokers?
October 8, 2009
Many people have been surprised to see that ACS CAN has voiced concerns about provisions in some health care legislation that would allow employers to charge smokers significantly more for health insurance.
Surprised?ξ After all, we are the same organization that has proudly led efforts to ban smoking in restaurants and to increase tobacco taxes.
It's actually quite simple.ξ Our goal is to save lives from cancer.
For tobacco taxes, the science shows that increasing the cost of a pack of cigarettes by ten percent results in drops in both youth and adult smoking.ξ The science also clearly shows the devastating impact that second-hand smoke can have on those who are not even smoking.
Following this theme, the science is also very clear when it comes to access to health care.
There is extensive research that shows that patients are far less able to manage chronic onditions when their deductibles or co-payments are too high.ξ Charging higher health insurance premiums for people who smoke creates a financial barrier for individuals who need coverage the most.
Since 1970, the percentage of Americans who smoke has dropped from 37 percent to 20 percent today.ξ This has been due to better health education of young people about the dangers of tobacco addiction, higher tobacco taxes and product prices, laws reducing industry advertising, smoke free laws, general changes in social norms, and the availability of proven cessation techniques.ξ It has not been due to insurance pricing.
Yes, smoking still costs the nation $96 billion in direct health costs each year, and reducing the incidence of smoking should be a national health priority because it is a proven way to save money and lives.ξ However, there is no evidence that charging smokers higher premiums reduces smoking or even encourages people to quit.
Helping tobacco users obtain effective cessation treatment, including counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, is the only proven way to help large numbers of people quit.
Plenty of people, including our President, want to quit and have not succeeded because of the incredibly addictive power of nicotine.ξ Like the President, most current smokers did not start as a result of an informed adult decision.ξ They became addicted to nicotine as children and teenagers, as do 1,000 American children every day.ξ Once addicted, the average smoker tries to quit and fails at least three times before successfully giving up the habit.
ACS CAN and the American Cancer Society have led the fight against tobacco for half a century.ξ The way to fight tobacco use is not to penalize smokers.ξ The way to fight smoking is to price tobacco out of the market, regulate the industry so they cannot target children, and to make cessation techniques available to smokers.
LetÈs not punish smokers by making sure they canÈt afford needed health insurance.