Healthcare spending accounted for 32 of Texas government expenditures
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas We cannot properly address our budget without addressing the ever increasing costs associated with Medicaid. This legislation will save taxpayers at least $30 million over the next two years and even more importantly it will do so while saving lives and improving the health of all Texans said State Rep. Myra Crownover (R-Denton) earlier today as she filled House Bill 670.
Texas faces a major shortfall in revenue this biennium due to the downturn in the economy. In order to balance the budget Texas lawmakers will have to find savings in every area of government. Healthcare spending accounted for 32 of government expenditures during the current biennium and Medicaid spending represents an overwhelming majority of those dollars.
House Bill 670 will enact a comprehensive ban on smoking in the workplace and protect Texas workers from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
The Texas Department of State Health Services recently completed an analysis of the effects of comprehensive smoking bans on Medicaid spending.
Twenty-nine other states have enacted comprehensive bans similar to HB 670 and there is mounting evidence that smoking bans have led to significant savings for state governments. According to the DSHS analysis Texas will likely see a 9.2 reduction in spending on hospitalizations for heart attack stroke and respiratory illness in 2012 alone and DSHS expects the effect of the ban to increase over time.
No one can dispute the mountain of evidence that has proven that not only does secondhand smoke kill people but that it also is costing taxpayers millions of dollars said Crownover.
Crownover has represented District 64 in the Texas House of Representatives since 2000. House District 64 includes portions of Denton County including the cities of Denton Lake Dallas Corinth Shady Shores Hickory Creek Lakewood Village Little Elm Oak Point and The Colony north of 121.
