Tobacco kills 11,000 Hoosiers a year, but less than 1% of Tobacco Master Settlement Fund goes to prevention programs
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Every year Indiana receives an estimated $120 million from the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Fund (TMSF), but only .06% of that money specifically goes toward the Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program.
“There’s a lag between the bucket of money and the process,” State Rep. Greg Porter said.
Currently, only $7.5 million of TMSF is spent on tobacco use prevention. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation on how much the state should be spending is $73.5 million.
A majority of the fund is spent on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The funding from the settlement for CHIP will end in 2022.
“We needed to take care of our children,” Porter said. “There were a lot of children that were falling by the wayside that did not have health insurance.”
Nevertheless, the American Lung Association says Hoosiers currently spend over $500 million on tobacco-related products, a clear sign the epidemic isn’t slowing down. Over 11,000 Hoosiers die every year from tobacco-related causes, according to reThink Tobacco Indiana.
“Every year, we ask for at least $15 million per year, $30 million dollars over the biennium for Prevention’s essential programs, but it just doesn’t rule because we’re a super minority,” Porter said.
Porter says it all comes down to politics.
“Public health problems caused by tobacco are far-reaching, and children are certainly not unaffected by secondhand smoke, addiction and other health implications related to tobacco,” State Rep. Tim Brown said in a statement sent to News 8. “Indiana thoughtfully allocates these funds to nearly 40 different services, programs, education efforts and more, as we continue to help Hoosiers and their children. Health care providers play a key role in decreasing tobacco use, and these programs help families in need access important medical care.”
The TMSF does not specify how the settlement can be used.
Over 50 cities and counties, including Indianapolis, have or are in the process of opting-out of the expected $700 million coming from the State’s Opioid Settlement Fund, according to Cohen & Malad, the firm representing Indianapolis and Marion County.
Rep. Brown pointed out that the budget for the opioid settlement “requires the funds be used for prevention programs for opioid use disorder and any co-occurring substance use disorder or mental health issues.”
Porter says gaining trust at the local level is going to take some compromise.
“It’s going to take awhile, this is not a light switch moment.”