I received a "Save our Emergency Rooms" Initiative Petition in mail

[rumpel]

This is a petiton to put an additional tabacco tax of $1.50 per pack to fund the emergency rooms.
Paid for by "Hospital Committee on Issues" and Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.


As much as I would like to help the emergency rooms to stay open, I disagree with the statement that cigarette smokers are the cause of the already underfunded and overloaded of health care system and emergency room closures, which the letter implies.

My quick research into statistics turned up these documents:

Emergency Departments in the Health Care System: Use of Services in California and the United States
November 2002
available at:
http://www.chcf.org/search/index.cfm

CA, Emergency Department, Principal Reasons:
Accidents & Injuries accounting for more than 1/3 of all ED visits
Stomach & abdominal pain 6.4%
Chest pain 5.5%
Fever 4.6%

out of 100 patients 62.8 are above 75 years
out of 100 patients 36.4 are younger than 15

greatly differing from the age group of smokers:
2001 figures (data from http://www.dhs.ca.gov/tobacco/)
age group 18-24 23.6%
age group 25-44 18.9%
age group 45-64 15.3%
age group 65+ 7.8%


According to CA Air Resources Board "Recent Research Findings: Health Effects of Particulate Matter and Ozone Air Pollution, January 2004 " :
www.arb.ca.gov/research/health/fs/PM-03fs.pdf

Health Impacts of Air Pollution (per year)
Premature Deaths (6,500)
Hospitalizations (9,000)
Respiratory Illness including asthma (1,700,000)
School Absences (1,300,000)
Lost Workdays (2,800,000)

"Population-based studies in hundreds of cities in the U.S. and around the world have demonstrated a strong link between elevated particulate levels and premature deaths, hospital admissions, emergency room visits, and asthma attacks. Groundbreaking long-term studies of children’s health conducted in California have demonstrated that particle pollution may significantly reduce lung function growth in children (Peters et al. 1999, Avol et al. 2001, Gauderman et al. 2002). "

Other data:
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/tobacco/html/publications.htm#tupe

NEW DATA SHOW CALIFORNIA MILITARY, KOREAN MEN AND LGBT POPULATIONS SMOKE MUCH MORE THAN OTHERS IN THE STATE Despite Overall Statewide Tobacco Use at Historic Lows, Five New Studies Show Smoking Rates Vary Widely Among These Populations

Since the passage of Proposition 99 in 1988, the adult smoking prevalence in California has declined significantly from 22.8% in 1988 to 17.4% in 2001

The prevalence of cigarette smoking ("smoked in the last 30 days") among youth 12-17 years of age in California decreased from 11% in 1994 to 5.9% in 2001.

While I am sure smoking related illnesses are part of the problem, I would like to see a reasonable analysis about why the State and the federal government fail to adequately fund our health care system. Most of us are already paying into the health care.

The petition estimates to raise 1.4 Billion a year, which is being shouldered by the 17% of Californians who smoke, wheras a large percentage of the 17% are mainly active duty millitary and immigrants?

Rather than singling out one part of the problem, all major contributors to the causes of emergency room visits have to be addressed. Only then can we start talking about assessing taxes for healthcare: pollution emitting companies, (air and ground contaminators) gun manufacturers and users, sports equipment, alcohol and tabacco. How many elderly are uninsured or underinsured. This will never stop.

How about a universally affordable and fair solution for all? If everyone in the State, which currently has 33 Million 871 Thousand people, contributed 25 cents a month, it would raise 1.0 Billion in revenue. By the way, I believe active duty millitary buys tax exempt.

I don't care who sends me initiative petitions, if they try to mislead they are not going to get my support.

[rumpel]

1. Correction on CA population:

As of July 1 2004
36,590,814
Demographic Research Unit, http://www.dof.ca.gov/

[Pushed To The Left]

2. I've never agreed with sin taxes

I declined to sign this petition outside a grocery store a few weeks ago because of my feelings about sin taxes, but I did sign another petition involving pre-school for the same petitioner.

[mitchtv]

3. I've had it with Initiatives

I won't sign very much at all