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“
A
leading Australian health economist has warned that failure to reduce
smoking rates will lead to a billion-dollar blowout in PBS subsidies
for drugs to treat heart disease. New
research just published in the Medical Journal of Australia*
says failure to lower smoking rates will lead to PBS costs for
smoking-related cardiovascular disease rising from the present $126m
pa to $1.73b by the year 2041. The
study says just a 5% fall in smoking rates would save $4.5b over the
next 37 years. This could be achieved by increased funding for
anti-smoking advertising campaigns. “Government
investment in these campaigns would be more than offset by savings in
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme costs for heart disease drugs alone”,
says lead author Associate Professor Susan Hurley. Health
groups have welcomed the study as further evidence that increased
government investment in anti-tobacco measures would be a highly
cost-effective move. Says
Maurice Swanson, co-author and tobacco spokesperson of the National Heart Foundation
of Australia: “While PBS subsidies for heart drugs are essential, it
makes no sense for the government to allow these subsidies to blow out
by failing to address a major preventable cause of heart disease. “We
are simply not investing enough in getting smoking rates down. Per
capita, other countries like the US, Canada and New Zealand are doing
far better – and reaping the economic benefits.” Adds
Anne Jones, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
Australia: “Reducing smoking rates represents value for money - particularly when the government is warning us that we are
an ageing population that has to work longer and pay more for
escalating health care costs. Health
groups are seeking a strong funding commitment from all of the major
parties in lead up the 2004 election to fully fund the new National
Tobacco Strategy for 2004-2009. * Hurley, S et al, “The potential for tobacco
control to reducePBS costs
for smoking-related cardiovascular disease”
(2004), in Medical Journal of Australia 181: 252-255.
www.mja.com.au/public/issues/181_05_060904/hur10462_fm.html
This
is a joint media release by ASH Australia and the National Heart
Foundation of Australia.
Maurice
Swanson, National Heart Foundation of
Australia Ph. 0414-922-902
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Page last updated on 6/9/04 |
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