| |
|
|
PRESS
ADVISORY
Alliance
For A Healthy Maine Joins Nation's First Multi-State
Effort to Raise Tobacco Taxes By 50 Cents
Group
Wants Tax Hike To Reduce Youth and Adult Smoking And
To Fund Health Care Coverage
Released: November 16, 2000
The Alliance for a Healthy Maine announced the "Maine
Health Access Campaign" that seeks a 50-cent hike
in Maine's tobacco excise tax during the 2001 legislative
session in order to decrease tobacco use and increase
access to health care coverage. Maine's campaign,
part of an historic six-state initiative across New
England, is supported by a comprehensive new study
showing that an overwhelming majority - 78% - of Maine
voters support such a tax increase.
"Increasing tobacco prices is the single most effective
way to reduce tobacco use, especially among our youth,"
said Dr. Gerritsen, representing the Maine Medical
Association. "This year alone the cigarette companies
will sell about 105 million packs of cigarettes in
Maine. By implementing a 50-cent per pack hike in
tobacco excise taxes, Maine can reduce adult smoking
by 2.5 percent, teen smoking by 6.4 percent and smoking
by pregnant women by 6.4 percent."
"Maine citizens are willing to support an increase
in tobacco taxes in order to provide uninsured and
underinsured citizens with health care coverage and
to reduce tobacco use," said Kathryn Pears, of Kennebunk,
representing Consumers for Affordable Health Care.
"During the past three years, Maine has averaged the
highest rate of uninsured citizens of all New England
states at 13.2 percent. That's unacceptable. By raising
the tobacco tax we can provide health care coverage
to some of those 161,000 uninsured citizens who can
least afford it."
"In the past, teens have received lecture after lecture
about smoking from teachers, parents, public programs
and even friends. This has not had enough of an impact.
Raising the price is a very effective way to reduce
smoking, especially among younger smokers. I think
that's a good idea," said Kelly Campforce, a student
at Erskine Academy.
Another teenager, Arthur Allan Page said "Today, 39%
of Maine's teenagers smoke. Along with New Hampshire,
that's the highest rate in the nation. About 31,000
kids under the age of 18 will eventually die from
smoking related illnesses in Maine if current trends
continue. That's more than the entire population of
Augusta. This must end."
"Raising the tax creates a WIN-WIN for Maine citizens.
It will reduce the number of smokers, reduce the number
of packs of cigarettes sold by an estimated 2 million
in Maine, save an estimated 1,848 lives a year and
will begin to address the number one concern of Maine
citizens - health care coverage - by reducing the
number of Maine's uninsured," said Megan Hannan, representing
the American Cancer Society.
"If this 50-cent tax hike were enacted in Maine as
of July 1, 2001, it would generate an estimated average
of $47,520,000 per year over the five year period
from 2002 - 2006," said Kathryn Pears representing
Consumers for Affordable Health Care citing a November
2000 study by the Schneider Institute for Health Policy.
Today's announcement by the Alliance for a Healthy
Maine coincided with the observance of the American
Cancer Society's 24th Annual Great American Smokeout.
Twenty-seven organizations and associations including
the Maine Women's Lobby, the National Association
of Social Workers - Maine Chapter, the Maine Council
of Churches, the American Lung Association of Maine,
the Maine Hospital Association, and the Maine Public
Health Association, have joined the Alliance for a
Healthy Maine during the past two weeks. "This is
one of the easiest member recruitment efforts I've
ever experienced. You no sooner tell people what the
campaign's goals are and they want to be a member.
It's Mom and apple pie," said Joe Ditre, the director
of Consumers for Affordable Health Care that is coordinating
the campaign.
Also, during today's news conference, the Alliance
for a Healthy Maine released results of a University
of New Hampshire Survey Center study showing that
Maine residents support a tobacco tax increase, and
favor using the revenues to provide uninsured and
underinsured citizens with health care coverage and
to reduce youth and adult tobacco use. The UNH Survey
Center poll of 423 registered voters across Maine
was taken in August 2000 and has a margin of error
of +/- 4.8%. Specifically the survey found:
-
87 percent of Maine voters say they favor using
cigarette tax revenues for anti-tobacco programs
for youth.
-
78 percent of Maine voters say they favor using
the cigarette tax revenues to provide health care
coverage to the uninsured.
-
80 percent of Maine voters say they would also favor
using cigarette tax revenues to help seniors pay
for the high cost of prescription drugs.
The
Alliance for a Healthy Maine wants to use the funds
to provide health care coverage to some of the uninsured
since Maine has already achieved the CDC-recommended
levels of tobacco cessation and prevention funding
at $18.3 million and has passed laws to cover more
seniors with prescription drugs. The Alliance members
noted that it is important the State maintain the
current level of funding for tobacco cessation and
prevention programs and aggressively pursue methods
to keep prescriptions affordable for senior citizens.
Sponsored by: Alliance
for a Healthy Maine
Back
to Coalition News
|
|
