Those who lack health insurance are far more likely to smoke than those who do have coverage, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control. However, those covered by Medicaid are even more likely to smoke than the uninsured.
The study found that the overall adult smoking rate in the U.S. has hit an all-time low of 16.8 percent. And among adults with private health insurance, the rate is even lower — 12.8 percent. The smoking rate was more than twice as high for the uninsured — 27.9 percent — but even higher for those on Medicaid, 29.1 percent of whom smoke.
The study was greeted as a sign of progress by the CDC due to the dramatic decline in overall smoking that it revealed. The overall rate in 2005 was 20.9 percent.
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"Smoking kills half a million Americans each year and costs more than $300 billion," said CDC Director Tom Frieden in a statement. "This report shows real progress helping American smokers quit and that more progress is possible."
In its statement announcing the findings, the CDC did not identify increasing access to health insurance as one of the most effective ways to combat smoking. Instead, it focused on the need for smoking bans in public places, higher tobacco prices and resources to help people quit.
Smoking rates differ dramatically across demographic groups. Forty-three percent of those with a G.E.D., rather than a high school diploma, are smokers. Twenty-nine percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives smoke, as do 27 percent of those identified as multiracial and 26.3 percent of those living below the federal poverty level. Lesbian, gay or bisexual individuals also have above-average smoking rates, at 23.9 percent.
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