Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
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By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. KENNEDY):
S. 770. A bill to amend titles V, XVIII, and XIX of the Social Security Act to promote cessation of tobacco use under the Medicare program, the Medicaid program, and the maternal and child health services block grant program; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, tobacco is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S.--that is 438,000 deaths every year. Sadly, another 50,000 Americans die each year from exposure to second hand smoke. Just this year, scientists discovered another danger in ``third hand smoke'' which describes the chemicals that cling to smokers'' hair and clothing, and linger in cushions and carpeting long after smoke has cleared a room. This residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they are crawling or playing on the floor.
Despite the known dangers of tobacco use, more than 45 million adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes. Approximately 90 percent of those adults started smoking before the age of 14. Every day over 3,500 kids under age 18 try smoking for the first time, and of these, 1,100 will become regular, daily smokers. Between 1/3 and 1/2 will eventually die as a result of their addiction.
The likelihood of being a smoker varies depending on your ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and even where you live. African-Americans are twice as likely as the general population to smoke, and communities in the South are more likely to be smoker-friendly than other communities in the country. While 22.5 percent of the general adult population in the U.S. currently smokes, the percentage is about 50 percent higher among Medicaid recipients. Thirty-six percent of adults covered by Medicaid smoke.
The costs to our Nation of tobacco use are staggering. Total health costs attributable to tobacco approach $100 billion annually, and comprise an estimated 14 percent of all Medicaid costs. Our Federal Government pays $17.6 billion through Medicaid and $27.4 billion through Medicare for smoking related illnesses. Tobacco use is a leading cause of pregnancy complications, premature birth, and low birth weight.
Despite the fact that nicotine is a highly addictive drug, research has confirmed that smoking cessation strategies that include evidence based counseling and FDA-approved pharmacotherapies are effective. More than 4 in 5 smokers say they want to quit, and each year about 1.3 million smokers do quit. Overcoming an addiction to tobacco is arguably one of the single most important lifestyle changes that a person can make to improve and extend his or her health and life.
Studies have shown that reducing adult smoking through tobacco cessation treatment pays immediate dividends, both in terms of health improvements and cost savings. Shortly after quitting smoking, blood circulation improves, carbon monoxide levels in the blood decrease, the risk of heart attack decreases, lung function and breathing are improved, and coughing decreases. Pregnant women who quit smoking before their second trimester decrease the chances that they will give birth to a low-birth-weight baby. Over the long term, quitting will reduce a person's risk of heart disease and stroke, improve symptoms of COPD, reduce the risk of developing smoking-caused cancer, and extend life expectancy. Breaking an addition to nicotine is a very difficult process, and that is why we should make a variety of treatment options available to tobacco users.
I am proud to be joined by my colleagues Senator Kennedy in introducing the Medicare, Medicaid and MCH Smoking Cessation Promotion Act of 2009. This legislation would make it easier for people to access tobacco cessation treatment therapies in three meaningful ways.
First, this bill adds a smoking cessation counseling benefit and coverage of FDA-approved tobacco cessation drugs to Medicare. By 2020, 17 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 years of age or older. It is estimated that Medicare will pay $800 billion to treat tobacco-related diseases over the next 20 years.
Second, this bill provides coverage for counseling, prescription and non-prescription smoking cessation drugs in the Medicaid program. The bill eliminates the provision in current federal law that allows states to exclude FDA-approved smoking cessation therapies from coverage under Medicaid. Despite the fact that the states have received payments from their successful federal lawsuit against the tobacco industry, less than half the states provide coverage for smoking cessation in their Medicaid program. Even if Medicaid covered cessation products and services exclusively to pregnant women, we would see significant cost savings and health improvements. Children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are almost twice as likely to develop asthma as those whose mothers did not. Over seven years, reducing smoking prevalence by just one percentage point among pregnant women would prevent 57,200 low birth weight births and save $572 million in direct medical costs.
Finally, this bill ensures that the Maternal and Child Health Program recognizes that medications used to promote smoking cessation and the inclusion of anti-tobacco messages in health promotion are considered part of quality maternal and child health services.
As Congress examines more closely the impact of tobacco on our country--considering regulation by the FDA or raising taxes to pay for public health priorities--we must make sure we assist those fighting this deadly addiction. I hope my colleagues will join me in cosponsoring this legislation and taking a stand for the public health of our Nation.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD
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