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THE COST: $3.19 BILLION ANNUALLY <br />While the overall smoking rate in Minnesota has decreased dramatically over the last two decades, the cost of <br />smoking remains significant. In Minnesota, smoking was responsible for $3.19 billion in excess medical expenditures <br />in 2014 — a per capita expense of $593 for every person in the state.' <br />A CALL TO ACTION: PREVENTION & POLICY <br />Many factors impact our health. One is prevention efforts, such as deterring young people from starting to smoke <br />and helping current smokers quit, which offer significant opportunities for controlling health care costs. Another is our <br />surroundings — where we live, work, learn and play. Tobacco -free spaces are essential to decreasing the impact of <br />smoking — including its costs. It's also imperative to address the inequities within commercial tobacco use. <br />Despite years of progress, some populations continue to smoke at disproportionately high rates and are more <br />frequently targeted by tobacco -industry marketing. <br />For instance, low-income individuals experience significantly higher rates of smoking and smoking-related health <br />issues than the general population.' Additionally, people suffering from mental health issues smoke at rates almost <br />double that of the general population.' We also know that in Minnesota, 59 percent of American Indians smoke, along <br />with approximately 24 percent of Somalis,' compared to 14 percent of all Minnesota adults.6 <br />As a result, these and other communities are at a greater risk for premature death and disease. We can't afford to <br />ignore these inequities. <br />A COMPARISON- <br />HOW <br />COSTS STACK UP <br />To get a sense of the magnitude of smoking-related <br />medical costs, it is helpful to compare $3.19 billion in <br />public and private health care expenditures attributed <br />to smoking with other investments. This juxtaposition <br />is for comparison purposes only and shows a relative <br />view of just how much taxpayers, employers and <br />government spend on these preventable costs. <br />6,380 fire trucks x $500,000 = $3.19 billion <br />200 libraries x $16 million each = $3.2 billion <br />58,000 four-year undergraduate degrees at the <br />University of Minnesota x $55,360 each = $3.2 billion <br />79,750 jobs at $40,000 per year each = $3.19 billion <br />10 state capitol renovations x $310 million = $3.1 billion <br />$3.19 billionCOULD ALSO BUY: <br />• ' <br />61380FIRETRUCKS <br />' <br />20OLIBRARIES <br />581000 FOUR-YEAR DEGREES <br />AND IS EQUAL TO: <br />79,750JOBS <br />A,$40,000 <br />10 STATE CAPITOL RENOVATIONS <br />