Study: Healthcare costs drop quickly after smokers quit

A study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, estimates that a 10 percent decline in smoking in the U.S. would be followed by a $63 billion reduction in total healthcare costs for the following year.

It's general knowledge that smoking causes a wide range of conditions, including cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, complications of pregnancy, and cancers. Yet there is still a prevalent amount of Americans who continue to smoke and these people end up in the healthcare system in need of care for the disease cause by smoking over time.

A study of medical savings from California and Arizona have shown that as the prevalence and intensity of smoking decreases, the amount each state saved grew to impressive amounts. This information prompted researchers to evaluate the medical costs of smoking at both national and state levels by examining the year-to-year relationship between changes in smoking and changes in medical costs for the entire United States for 1992 - 2009, taking into account differences between states and historical national trends in smoking behavior and healthcare expenditures.

Results showed that 1 percent relative reductions in current smoking statistics and mean packs smoked per current smoker are associated with 0.118 percent and 0.108 percent reductions, respectively, in per capita healthcare costs.

“Historical regional variations in smoking behavior (including those due to the effects of state tobacco control programs, smoking restrictions, and differences in cigarette taxation rates) are associated with substantial differences in per capita healthcare expenditures across the United States,” wrote James Lightwood, PhD, associate professor for UCSF School of Pharmacy, and colleagues. “Those regions (and the states in them) that have lower smoking have substantially lower medical costs. Likewise, those that have higher smoking have higher medical costs. Sensitivity analysis confirmed that these results are robust.”

After adjustment for state tax differentials, the Far West region had the largest total estimated annual per capita savings ($182), while the New England region had the largest excess per capita cost ($104), and the Southeast has the next largest costs ($94.4). Total annual estimated cost per year due to the differences between regional and national smoking behavior ranges from a savings of $9.5 billion in the Far West to a total excess expenditure of $7.3 billion in the Southeast region.

The study also showed that healthcare costs plummet quickly after smoking rates decline. In 2012, total healthcare costs in the US were $2.8 trillion, and according to this research, a 10 percent drop in smoking combined with a 10 percent drop in consumption per smoker (about 37 fewer packs/year) would lead to a $63 billion reduction in healthcare costs.

“Lower smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption per smoker are associated with lower per capita healthcare expenditures. Those regions (and the states in them) that have implemented public policies to reduce smoking have substantially lower medical costs,” concluded Lightwood and colleagues. “Likewise, those that have failed to implement tobacco control policies have higher medical costs. Changes in healthcare costs begin to be observed quickly after changes in smoking behavior. State and national policies that reduce smoking should be part of short term healthcare cost containment.”