U.S. healthcare spending attributable to cigarette smoking in 2014
Authors: Xin Xu, Sundar S. Shrestha, Katrina F. Trivers, Linda Neff, Brian S. Armour, Brian A. King
Publication: Preventive Medicine, 23 March 2021, 106529
This study assessed smoking-attributable fractions in healthcare spending between 2010 and 2014, overall and by insurance type (Medicaid, Medicare, private, out-of-pocket, other federal, other) and by medical service (inpatient, non-inpatient, prescriptions). During 2010–2014, an estimated 11.7% of U.S. annual healthcare spending could be attributed to adult cigarette smoking, translating to annual healthcare spending of more than $225 billion dollars based on total personal healthcare expenditures reported in 2014. More than 50% of this smoking-attributable spending was funded by Medicare or Medicaid. For Medicaid, the estimated healthcare spending attributable fraction increased more than 30% between 2010 and 2014. Cigarette smoking exacts a substantial economic burden in the U.S. Continuing efforts to implement proven population-based interventions have been shown to reduce the health and economic burden of cigarette smoking nationally.