State Sen. Ron Teck’s proposal to deny Medicaid coverage for smokers with head, neck and lung cancer is a bad idea that would unfairly impact low-income tobacco users and shift the expense for their care to other parties.
About a third of adults living below the poverty level smoke, according to the U.S. Census.
“It seems that you eliminate [Medicaid funding for] the folks that are making a conscious decision that creates negative consequences,” Teck, a Grand Junction Republican, said while introducing Senate Bill 101. “Friends and neighbors should not have to pay for their medical costs,” he said.
His proposal involves a sliding formula to determine the benefits for people based on how long they have smoked.
But health care providers can’t ignore cancer victims.
“Our concerns are that people are going to continue to engage in that behavior, and we’re still going to have to treat them,” said Marty Arizumi of the Colorado Health and Hospital Association. The cost would be shifted to the public in higher charges for health care, which in turn could boost medical insurance rates. Uncompensated care already costs Colorado hospitals and care providers more than $1.2 billion a year.
A better idea is to promote cessation programs and reduce the number of individuals who fall victim to smoking illnesses.
Under a deal the legislature reached with Gov. Bill Owens, $140 million in new tobacco-tax revenues is going for health care purposes, including breast and cervical cancer screening, expanding Medicaid to 40,000 additional low-income children, and tobacco education and smoking cessation programs.
