AUGUSTA — Citing statistics showing that poor Mainers smoke at a higher rate than the rest of the state’s population, state Sen. Tom Saviello submitted a bill to prohibit smokers from receiving Medicaid benefits.
Saviello, R-Wilton, contended that taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay medical expenses for smokers through the state’s MaineCare program.
But he had to backtrack after learning that his bill would violate a federal law that stipulates eligibility requirements for MaineCare, which is largely funded by the federal government.
On Tuesday, he introduced a new version, which was quickly embraced by the anti-tobacco advocates who had come to testify against his original bill.
The result is a legislative resolve that encourages the state to reduce tobacco use among residents covered by MaineCare, and to create a program to make them more aware of programs to help them stop smoking.
Saviello said during a public hearing on the bill that he still thinks taxpayers should be allowed to dictate eligibility rules.
“If you come to my house and if you smoke, you are going to smoke outside. It’s my house,” he said.
About 41 percent of MaineCare recipients smoke, compared with 17 percent of Maine’s adult population, Saviello said.
He said he hopes Maine can learn from the success of Massachusetts, which in 2006 developed a program to reduce tobacco use by Medicaid recipients. In just 2½ years, the percentage of recipients who smoked dropped from 38 to 28.
Rep. Mark Eves, D-Berwick, a former smoker, said many low-income people smoke because it’s stressful to live in poverty.
“I am glad the focus on this bill is on cessation and not dehumanizing a particular population,” he told Saviello.
Hilary Schneider, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society of Maine, said that prohibiting smokers from receiving MaineCare benefits would only shift medical costs to other parts of the health care system, without addressing the underlying problem.
“Encouraging more smokers to quit is a smart, cost-effective strategy, even in the short term,” she said.
Saviello said he submitted his original bill just to stimulate conversation.
“I’m not picking on smokers,” he said, “I am simply trying to create a dialogue.”
MaineToday Media State House Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 699-6261 or at: tbell@mainetoday.com
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