Secondly, he deals with the philosophical issue of whether or not it is moral for the federal, state and local governments to make a product legal (and an addictive at that) and then to punish and vilify its users with special, discriminatory smoking excise taxes on that product. Based upon his study, there is simply no difference between the health costs coming from normal medical maladies and those that have been caused by the smoking habit (Auld, 2011)
This is the most prevalent among the teenage population. For every 10% increase in the purchase price of a pack of cigarettes, the youth smoking rates overall dropped about 7% (Peterson et
The study found that this included the subpopulations with the highest smoking rates as well. It was shown in the article that smoking rates among pregnant women are responsive to tax hikes (Ringel, & Evans, 2001, 1855)
These estimates were largely based upon the figures that went back two decades that were developed by analysts working for the states that comprising estimates of state-specific costs for use at trial or in settlement discussions. The medical costs of smoking in the United States equal and may also well exceed the most commonly referenced figure of 6 -- 8% of the general population in the country at large (Warner, Hodgson & Carroll, 1999, 290-291)
One of the significant challenges in lessening the rising costs of health care is the high costs of developing or producing new medical products. Generally, a huge portion of innovative products in medical markets are characterized by huge up-front costs of development and relatively less marginal costs of production (Jessup, 2012)
One of the major initiatives undertaken by these stakeholders is the adoption of technology to address health care issues related to cost. Health information technology incorporates a wide range of technologies that are used to manage and share patient information electronically instead of the use of paper records (Takvorian, n
The foregoing facts make arguments in support of requiring smokers to pay even more appear spurious on their face, but there is more involved in the analysis than first meets the eye and these issues are discussed further below with respect to the second-hand smoke generated by smokers. Second-Hand Smoke and Health Care Costs Even though many tobacco companies have known about the harmful effects of smoking for more than a half century and other research has confirmed these suspicions for more than 40 years, the potential adverse health effects of so-called "second-hand smoke" have only come to light relatively recently (Cox & Foster, 2011)
In fact, despite the growing body of evidence that smoking causes a wide array of healthcare problems and further exacerbates numerous others, a new group of smokers emerges and the costs that are associated with treating them continue to escalate (Sunstein, 2004). Indeed, each year, more than one million people in the United States develop smoking-related illnesses and more than 400,000 eventually die from these healthcare problems (Daynard & Barr, 1999)
Although actuarial tables exist that help calculate the value of a lost life, these calculations fail to take into account the diminished productivity and quality of life issues that second-hand smoke causes, especially since the actual costs that are involved are unclear. Therefore, even though just a minority (approximately 28%) of Americans currently smoke, a majority of Americans continue to be exposed to the second-hand smoke they produce (Russell, 1999)
Current Funding Mechanisms for Smoker Health Care According to Daynard and Barr (1999), since the mid-20th century, the big tobacco companies have engaged in a veritable conspiracy to hide the real truth about the dangers of smoking in ways that have helped recruit new generations of smokers. In fact, despite the growing body of evidence that smoking causes a wide array of healthcare problems and further exacerbates numerous others, a new group of smokers emerges and the costs that are associated with treating them continue to escalate (Sunstein, 2004)
The results of an early federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study showed that based on the significant excise taxes that are paid by smokers when they purchase tobacco products, smokers actually pay more than the costs of the individual health care (Daynard & Barr, 1999). Moreover, some authorities even argue that the manner in which Medicaid payments are subsidized by smokers even violates the Social Security Act by forcing them to pay what amounts to extra premiums into the federal health care system through heavy excise taxes on tobacco (Traylor, 2010)
Smokers can abstain from smoking if they wish to. Self-efficacy is essential "Analysis shows that the intention to stop smoking was dependent not only on the perceived health benefits but also on the subject's confidence that hey would succeed if they tried to stop… When the follow-up data are considered, reported attempts to quitting were strongly related to previously declared intentions " (Eiser et al
considering the influence culture and social practices could have upon the behavior." (Srinivasan & Tara, 2001, 68) Addiction to smoking has been frequently attributed to biological causes and has, therefore, been said to be indeterminsitic and something that individuals cannot so readily stop without costly medical help
This is particularly troublesome for large-scale care providers, like hospitals, where supplies form a significant part of their budgets. "Many -- but not all -- of the price hikes are driven by the continually-rising price of oil, but others are not" (Zieger, 2008)
This paper advocates a similar proposal to some of the rhetoric spewing forth from Washington; ie, that tort reform take place and that doctors are allowed to followed evidence-based clinical practice guidelines a be granted immunity from liability when doing so. A recent study provides support for the proposal by stating that such a proposal as this one is one "of the more promising proposals in Washington" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2011)
The system also seems to pit the doctor's against the patients instead of working towards the patient's best interest. A recent study determined that "everyone agrees that patients should be able to find cheap, safe, and efficient care" (Avaraham, 2011, p
Three of the Ten Ways to Cut Health Care Costs Right Now, Described by Arnst While Catherine Arnst describes 10 ways to cut health care costs right now and Kaiser Permanente addresses all 10 of those ways, 3 of the ways Kaiser Permanente cuts health care costs leap to mind: cracking down on fraud and abuse; developing a healthy workforce; and stopping infections in hospitals. "Fraud and abuse" in health care includes but is not limited to phony medical claims, kickbacks to health care providers and concocted payment schemes (Arnst, 2009)
Isaac, Johnson & Johnson's executive director of global health services, who states: "Seventy percent of health-care costs could be prevented through lifestyle modification" (Arnst, 2009). Despite the wisdom and savings inherent in overall wellness services, prevention is too often overlooked (Lavizzo-Mourey, 2009, p
Adopting a "zero tolerance" policy toward hospital-induced infections, developing and enforcing common-sense checklists, and the Keystone Project aimed at eliminating catheter-related infections are all methods being employed by health care institutions to severely reduce/eliminate contamination and related health care costs (Arnst, 2009). In addition, Venessa Wong's slide show highlights Mission Memorial Hospital's screening and isolation of patient's with staph infections, reducing the hospital's staph-related expenses $925,000 in 2008 (Wong, 2009)
Bureau of Census and Statistics said that 76% of employees drove their cars alone to and from work and spent an average of $93 per month on commuting (Hirschman). Back injuries are among the most common complaints among employees and which have accounted for a large number of rising medical costs and workers' compensation claims (Bell 1991)