Massachusetts Antismoking Plan is Huge Success

by Gordon Clark | December 17, 2009 at 10:04 am

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The Aintismoking plan that offers almost free teatment for poor residents of Massachusetts has already seen huge benifits in both the heath and health finance sector.

Since its establishment in 2006, an attempt was made by the state of Massachusetts to limit the amount of smokers. Its intent was to obviously increase the health of the people but also to find a more efficient health care system.

In 2006, when the program began the rate of poor people smoking was 38% - over 2 times the national average. Since then, with the help of the program, smoking in poor residents has dropped to 28%. That works out to a decrease in 30,000 people.

The state began this program as a way to decrease its costs for hospitalization of patients who had heart attacks and asthma attacks. Although the numbers have not been peer reviewed the program is seen as a success.

State officials are looking to expand the program to include more than just poor people and pregnant women.

The rate of smoking among Medicaid patients had not changed in a decade before the program was introduced. It was much higher than the rate in the general population, which stands at about 18 percent.

Under the current Senate health care bill, only pregnant women on Medicaid would qualify for comprehensive smoking-cessation treatment, including drugs and counseling.