Tobacco Documents Online

Suite 250. 700 Thirteenth Street. NW. Washington. DC 20005, Telephone 202 393 1650 or 800 633 9400 American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians supports efforts to increase the excise tax on cigarettes to improve health and reduce health care costs. Tobacco remains a leading public health problem that must be addressed through governmental action. The College supports efforts to reduce cigarette smoking through both public education and the disincentive of an excise tax. Research has shown that when the price of cigarettes increases, people stop smoking completely or smoke fewer cigarettes. The Coalition on Smoking OR Health estimates that a $2.00 per pack tax increase on cigarettes may result in as many as 7.6 million fewer smokers and save 1.9 million lives. In addition to the cost in human terms, the financial cost associated with this epidemic is staggering. The Office of Technology Assessment estimates that smoking costs the nation over $65 billion annually. Of these costs, $43 billion are in lost productivity and $22 billion are increased health care costs. At a time when health care costs are of major concern to all citizens as well as government and business, these unnecessary and avoidable health care costs have received renewed attention. The College calls on the President to propose, and Congress to enact, a substantial increase in the tobacco excise tax. The nation's largest medical specialty society, the American College of Physicians represents more than 80,000 physicians in internal medicine and its subspecialties. Our membership includes private practitioners delivering primary health care; subspecialists in such fields as cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, oncology; medical educators and researchers.