Depending on the current struggle and compromise in the budget came out of Maine, one of the most affected may be a healthy foundation for Maine, which annually gets a share of the state in 1998, a multibillion-dollar lawsuit agreement with the four largest companies in cigarettes.

 Man gets $ 50 million a year “in perpetuity” from the tobacco settlement as compensation for past tobacco-related health care costs. The settlement allowed the States to use the payments for any purpose. Some of these payments are used primarily to balance their state budgets.

Maine is a leader in restricting its use, health-related programs. In 1999, the law, Maine, created a foundation for a healthy Maine to get tobacco fees and points out that “the distribution is limited to the following health-related goals.” He then lists eight programs ranging from prevention and elimination of smoking in schools and health nutrition programs.

The developers decided to use the law rather than constitutional amendment to protect the fund, as they would like to impose it without delay. But this leaves open the possibility that future legislation would change the conditions. One situation in which Governor Paul LePage ignored (and who can ignore the Legislature) decided that the allocation of the fund “should be used to supplement, not supplant appropriations from the general fund.”

The raid on the Fund for a Healthy Maine, proposed by the Governor, involves drawing about $ 30 million from the fund in the category due to medical care. This money will then be used to MaineCare, freeing up general fund dollars to go to the program, MaineCare, thus “crowding out” of appropriations from the general fund.

Foundation for a Healthy Maine account, and thus would be destroyed in the next financial year include drugs for the elderly and disabled, public school grants, including obesity prevention, home visiting, Head Start, support for child care and immunization. These programs serve primarily as disease prevention. This means that the real savings measures will lead to costly future disease and disability – not only in the distant future, but in subsequent years in the administration of Governor Lepage.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and around the world. However, Maine is spending just over half of the $ 18.5 million a year is necessary for an effective, comprehensive tobacco prevention program, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ed Miller, senior vice president of the American Lung Association of New England, notes that the appeal to the legislators that for every $ 1 in the fund the money they invest in MaineCare, they receive $ 2 of federal money to match. He adds that “no one wants to talk about any tax increase.” He points out those raising taxes on tobacco products from $ 2 to $ 3.50, as is the case in Rhode Island, as it were, to generate cash and reduce smoking.

Becky Smith, a consultant of Maine Public Health Association, said the governor’s proposal “breaks the hearts of the fund.” She said: “These cuts will ensure the future of healthy families is less than, greater than the cost of health cares for all and economic recovery, which could only limp because that we still do not have to deal with the elephant in the room – an incredible value prevention of chronic diseases.”

It is in the Legislature to maintain a healthy foundation for Maine and to avoid short-sighted measures that will bring future trouble and expense.

Tags: cigarettes, unhealthy maine

Trackback URI | Comments RSS