Smoke-free laws and insurance costs – 1/26/11

Q: Does any state (or city) have data or information on reduced insurance costs that were attributed to a smoke free air law?

A: Editor’s note: Several states responded, but none were aware of existing research that demonstrates a link between smoke-free laws and reductions in insurance costs. However, there are several publications that could help make an indirect connection:

• Smoke-free laws result in reductions in hospital admissions, heart attacks:
   
  • Lightwood & Glantz. Declines in Acute Myocardial Infarction After Smoke-Free Laws and Individual Risk Attributable to Secondhand Smoke. Circulation, 2009.
• Juster et al. Declines in Hospital Admissions for Acute Myocardial Infarction in New York State After Implementation of a Comprehensive Smoking Ban. AJPH, 2007.
   
• Smoke-free laws are associated with increases in smoking cessation attempts and reductions in smoking prevalence:
   
• Fichtenberg & Glantz. Effect of smoke-free workplaces on smoking behaviour: systematic review. BMJ, 2002.
• Hahn et al. Smoke-free laws and adult smoking prevalence. Preventive Medicine, 2008.
   
• Estimation of healthcare costs associated with smoking:
   
• Max. The financial impact of smoking on health-related costs: a review of the literature. Am J Health Promot, 2001.
   
• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Tobacco's Toll - State Specific Fact Sheets
   
• European Lung Foundation, 2009. “Lifting the smokescreen: 10 reasons for a smoke free Europe”- Chapter 2: Economics of smoke free policies.
   
• International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 2001. Handbook of Cancer Prevention, Volume 13: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Smoke-free Policies. Chapter 6: Reductions in exposure to secondhand smoke and effects on health due to restrictions on smoking

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