Tobacco Documents Online

Smoking related health care costs 'j5}Q4s:'.. These figures were calculated using a statistical software program provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the calculation of Smoking Attributable Morbidity and Mortality Economic Costs (SAMMEC). This program -is used by CDC for national and state based calculations and is provided to each state free of charge. Calculations are based on RI mortality data for 1989, RI smoking rates for 1989, and 1990 census data for RI. Other data (for health care costs, life-expectancy, life-time earnings, work- days lost, etc.) are provided by CDC and are based on estimates for RI derived from national data. 1. Direct health care costs means the cost of hospitalizations, physicians fees, nursing home care, medications, and other professional health services. In 1989, it is estimated that smoking related direct health care costs in RI for the 35-85+ age group were $89 million dollars, which accounts for about 4% of all direct health care costs in Rhode Island. $61 million of this total is due to smoking attributable illness in the male population. 2. Indirect mortality costs refers to the earnings that are lost as a result of premature death, and is expressed in terms of the present value of future earnings. For all ages, it is estimated that the smoking-attributable indirect mortality costs for RI in 1989 amounted"°$136,611,825 dollars for males, $46,579,890 for females, and $183,191,715 for both genders. Morbidity costs refers to days of work lost and bed- disability days- due to smoking attributable illnesses, and to the dollar costs of those lost work days. For the 35 - 85+ age groups, it is estimated that there were 337,894 smoking attributable work-loss/bed disability days in 1989 in RI, and that the earnings due to lost work days amounted to $28,084,138. 5. Total smokina attributable costs includes direct costs, ~ mortality costs,.and morbidity costs. In RI in 1989, it is C estimated that total smoking=attributable econoinic-costs ~ were $203,550,534 for the age group 35-85+, and $211,275,942' for all ages. ~. W ~ W ~ 4. Years of potential life lost refers to the years of productive life lost due to deaths which occur before 1L¢a4t average life expectancy. In RI in 1989, it°is estimated - that there were 21,651 smoking-attributable years of potential life lost. )