The Economic Impact of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke in Minnesota
- 1 April 2009
- journal article
- Published by American Public Health Association in American Journal of Public Health
- Vol. 99 (4), 754-759
- https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2008.137430
Abstract
Objectives. Using the risk categories established by the 2006 US surgeon general's report, we estimated medical treatment costs related to exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) in the state of Minnesota. Methods. We estimated the prevalence and costs of treated medical conditions related to SHS exposure in 2003 with data from Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Minnesota's largest insurer), the Current Population Survey, and population attributable risk estimates for these conditions reported in the scientific literature. We adjusted treatment costs to the state level by health insurance category by using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Results. The total annual cost of treatment in Minnesota for conditions for which the 2006 surgeon general's report found sufficient evidence to conclude a causal link with exposure to SHS was $228.7 million in 2008 dollars—equivalent to $44.58 per Minnesota resident. Sensitivity analyses showed a range from $152.1 million to $330.0 million. Conclusions. The results present a strong rationale for regulating smoking in public places and were used to support the passage of Minnesota's Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007.Keywords
This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit:
- Medicaid Undercount and Bias to Estimates of Uninsurance: New Estimates and Existing EvidenceHealth Services Research, 2007
- The Economic Impact of Early Life Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure: Early Intervention for Developmental DelayEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2006
- Costs of Newborn Care in California: A Population-Based StudyPEDIATRICS, 2006
- Health insurance coverage in Minnesota: Trends from 2001 to 2004Published by American Psychological Association (APA) ,2006
- Estimating the Economic Impact of Secondhand Smoke on the Health of a CommunityAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 2004
- Review of the quality of studies on the economic effects of smoke-free policies on the hospitality industryTobacco Control, 2003
- How many deaths are caused by second hand cigarette smoke?Tobacco Control, 2001
- Episode Treatment Groups (ETGs): a patient classification system for measuring outcomes performance by episode of illness.2000
- Workplace smoking policies in the United States: results from a national survey of more than 100,000 workersTobacco Control, 1997
- Tobacco and ChildrenArchives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 1997