anonymous
Guest
anonymous
Guest
The option I chose for my assignment was option 17 which was to increase the excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack. This option discussed how it would not only tax regular cigarettes but also smaller cigars which are often used as a substitute for cigarettes. It is widely known that cigarettes cause a number of health issues to include things such as cancer, heart issues and lung issues. This option discussed/estimates that by increasing the excise tax by just 50 cents that the smoking rate could possibly fall approximately 3 percent. It is also estimated that the younger smokers will be more responsive to the higher cigarette prices. With that being said, the higher tax rate would include less smoking which would lead to things such as improvements in health not only to the individuals themselves but also to those non-smokers that are affected by the second hand smoke. This prevention in smoking could elongate individual’s lives. This option discussed how improvements in one’s health will lead to less spending for the federal government on health care programs for those that smoke. This could also lead to lower health care premiums for private health insurance. Some might say that just because one stops smoking due to trying to be healthy that doesn’t mean that they won’t engage in other risky activities such as eating poorly or risky sports, etc. The facility I chose was a hospital. It would be very beneficial to patients if they were able to stop smoking regardless of if it was because of a tax raise or their own choice. They would not only save money but also improve their health. Less smoking related illnesses will allow federal funds to be allocated to other projects as well. Less smoking greatly reduces the financial burden on people that smoke, health care facilities, and on society as a whole. Not smoking can help boost reproductivity for those individuals trying to conceive children, it can also help improve heart and lung issues.