With the economic costs of smoking totaling more than $600 billion per year, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on The Real Cost of Smoking by State, to help encourage the estimated 49.2 million tobacco users in the U.S. to kick this dangerous habit.
WalletHub calculated the potential monetary losses — including the lifetime and annual costs of a pack of cigarettes per day, health care expenditures, income losses and other costs — brought on by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
The Financial Cost of Smoking in New York (1=Highest, 25=Avg.):
- Overall rank for New York: 3rd
- Out-of-Pocket Cost per Smoker – $254,916 (Rank: 1st)
- Financial-Opportunity Cost per Smoker – $4,465,318 (Rank: 1st)
- Health-Care Cost per Smoker – $319,581 (Rank: 7th)
- Income Loss per Smoker – $730,754 (Rank: 16th)
- Other Costs per Smoker – $18,424 (Rank: 35th)
- Total Cost Over Lifetime per Smoker: $5,788,994
- Total Cost per Year per Smoker: $120,604
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/the-financial-cost-of-smoking-by-state/9520
Expert Commentary
How can state and local authorities encourage people to quit smoking? Is there a role for employers and/or health insurance companies?
“Several interest groups monitor and study anti-smoking programs in the states. For example, the American Lung Association posts an annual report card that assesses the measures that states are taking to reduce smoking. Historically, excise taxes and smokefree air laws were successful in curbing tobacco use. Successful smoking cessation programs remain a moving target though, especially when addressing both tobacco and cannabis regulation. The e-cigarette and flavored tobacco boom led to a massive and surprising increase in tobacco consumption, especially among young people. Cannabis products come in many smokeless forms like edibles and tinctures making it difficult to keep up with regulations. The most robust policies must consider preventing smoking in the first place (e.g., raising age limits, prevention education and ad campaigns) while also offering funding and effective treatment options for smoking cessation (e.g., Medicaid covered smoking cessation therapy and medications, smoking cessation incentives and programs for state employees).”
Lee Hannah, Jr, Ph.D. – Professor, Wright State University
“There has been an incredible reduction in smoking over the last 50 years – rates of smoking have dropped by about 75%. This has been a huge public health success story. Most of that drop has been due to public health measures implemented by Federal, state and local authorities. The most effective measures have been taxes, clean indoor air laws (not allowing smoking in places like restaurants and workplaces) and limiting teenagers’ access to cigarettes. In addition, advertising campaigns have helped shift attitudes about smoking, which is one of the reasons why rates of smoking cigarettes among high school students are the lowest they have been in decades. Employers can help by offering support for quitting smoking – ensuring that the health plans they offer include support for quitting and by providing financial incentives for quitting. Similarly, health insurance companies should cover smoking cessation treatment, as it is one of the absolutely most cost-effective treatments in health care.”
Scott E. Sherman, MD, MPH – Professor, NYU
What are the most effective strategies for quitting smoking? What approaches typically fail?
“The most effective strategies for quitting smoking have been nicotine replacement therapies combined with counseling. While it can be extremely difficult to quit smoking, these have shown the highest success rates. Individuals who try to quit without any assistance or plan have the greatest risk of returning to smoking.”
Anita Cservenka, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Oregon State University
“The strongest evidence supports combining FDA-approved medications with behavioral support such as counseling or quitlines. This combination can double or triple quit rates compared with trying to quit on willpower alone, and this is true whether people quit abruptly (cold turkey) or gradually. Some trials find somewhat higher success with abrupt quitting, but in practice the biggest predictors of success are good support, appropriate treatment, and persistence, not the exact method. Relapse is common and should be viewed as part of the quitting process, not a failure, as most smokers need multiple attempts before they stop for good. Approaches that tend to fail are repeated quit attempts with no plan, no support, and no treatment, or switching to another nicotine product without a clear goal and strategy to stop all tobacco and nicotine use.”
Mary Rezk-Hanna, PhD, NP, FPCNA, FAHA, FAAN – Associate Professor, UCLA
Is the climbing popularity of vaping a good thing? Is it a good and safe substitute for regular cigarettes?
“Vaping may have benefits for individuals who have used combustible cigarettes and are trying to replace their cigarette use to quit smoking and reduce smoking-related harm. However, e-nicotine products also have harmful effects and are often used among younger individuals who are not using it as a replacement for cigarettes. This is particularly worrisome as the long-term risks of e-nicotine use are not clear, but these products are highly addictive and increase risk for nicotine use disorder.”
Anita Cservenka, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Oregon State University
“From a public health perspective, the rise of vaping is mixed. For an adult who already smokes cigarettes, completely switching to e-cigarettes and then using them as a bridge to full cessation reduce harm compared with continued smoking. However, vaping is not safe: it sustains nicotine addiction, carries its own respiratory and cardiovascular risks, and often results in dual use, which can erase any potential harm-reduction benefit. Vaping drove a major surge in youth nicotine use in the late 2010s, and although rates have declined from their peak, millions of adolescents and young adults still vape, including many who were never smokers. The greatest health benefit occurs when people move from smoking, to temporary e-cigarette use if needed, and ultimately to no nicotine at all. For youth and non-smokers, the popularity of vaping is unequivocally harmful, not beneficial.”
Mary Rezk-Hanna, PhD, NP, FPCNA, FAHA, FAAN – Associate Professor, UCLA