Patients Billed Unknowingly For Smoking Information

A Jamestown man says he was unknowingly charged for services during a doctor's appointment. He noticed an extra fee was on his bill for information on 'how to quit smoking.' but he didn't ask for the help, and wants other smokers to pay close attention to their doctor bills.
Donald Schrade went to get his ears cleaned out at the doctors. It was with a new doctor so he went through the list of typical health questions about his allergies, how often he drinks and if he smokes.
"I said yes I do, and she said well you know that's bad for you and you should quit, and I said yea I've known that forever, it's the dumbest thing I ever started." Don laughs, "So then she handed me the Quit ND card and went back to getting my ears cleaned, what I was there for in the first place."
But then a bill summarizing his visit came in the mail. He noticed a charge of $44 for the quit smoking information. Don says he was at first frustrated so he called the clinic asking why he was charged.
"Nothing to do with the visit I was there for, and wasn't something we went ahead and did or anything, I just thought it was the typical doctor patient interview type thing." Don says. "When I called my insurance provider they used the technical term fishy."
$44 for a conversation he says lasted only 30 seconds.
Essentia Billing Information say it's a Tobacco Cessation Charge for giving quitting information, something Don never asked for. Essentia Health told him they'd take the charge off, but just this time.
"Then she said she couldn't make any promises that it wouldn't show up the next time you go to the doctor, I said well what would you have to do to avoid this, I said would you have to clarify that you don't want to talk about smoking? And she said that'd probably be a good idea." Don shakes his head surprised by the answer he'd received. Marlboro cigarettes.
A charge he has fixed this time but wants other smokers to be aware of.
"People probably don't look that close, and get some people to look closer at their bill and go ahead and question it if you don't what something is on there or why or think it should be." Don says.
Essentia Health says the Tobacco Cessation Charge is part of the new health care reform, a nationwide push to get patients healthier.

Cigarettes Tax Increase, Maryland News

A Maryland health advocacy group is pushing for a $1 tax increase in cigarette prices, after several years of successfully lobbying to raise taxes on tobacco products in the state. "It's the kind of thing that the public supports, and it will do a lot of good," said Vincent DeMarco, president of Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative. "If legislators take a good look at it, I think they'll pass it. Tobacco companies are powerful so there will be opposition, but I think there's a good chance it will happen."

Smoking Bans Good for Inhabitants' Health

Clean air has been ubiquitous around the state’s public spaces for more than two years thanks to the smoking ban. And the evidence is in that similar bans do more than banish smoke-filled workplaces – they improve residents’ health. Minnesota's Mayo Clinic found hospitalizations for heart attacks, strokes and respiratory diseases fell dramatically after governments passed workplace smoking bans. Hospital stays were down 15 percent for heart attacks; 16 percent for strokes; and 24 percent for respiratory diseases.

Tobacco Taxes Drop Good for Tobacco Users

Let's consider the size of the proposed tobacco tax increase in Proposition B. It's over five times the current tax. It would go from $1.70 to $9 per carton. Missouri does have a low tobacco tax, but a more than five times increase is obviously pure greed. Everyone would be outraged if the sales tax went up five times, say from 6 percent to 30 percent. And what would you be paying if your property tax was five times higher? Wouldn't it be fairer to all parties involved if the tax wasn't so high?

Chinese Medicine Methods to Quit Smoking

There are an estimated 320 million smokers in China, accounting for one-third of total smokers all over the world, according to a survey conducted last year by Gallup, a research-based consultancy. The report also shows about 3,000 Chinese people die because of smoking-related diseases each day and this figure is expected to rise to 8,000 by 2050. "Medically, smoking will enhance the possibilities of getting various diseases ranging from digestion problems and hypertension to arthrolithiasis and heart disease," Huang Yunyu, a doctor at Dongzhimen Hospital, told Metro Beijing.

New Policy Banned Smoking at Playgrounds, Schools - Moscow News

A recently proposed anti-tobacco bill would introduce a sweeping ban on smoking at playgrounds for young children, schools, universities and administrative buildings, as well as at cafes and restaurants starting from 2015, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. "On the whole, children must not be exposed to tobacco smoke and see people smoke at playgrounds, schools, universities, outpatient hospitals and cafes every day. The new bill envisions a total ban on smoking in these places," Medvedev said in his video blog message.

Saudis are Smokers, Tobacco Control

More than a fifth of Saudi Arabia’s population are smokers, spending around SR11 billion (Dh10.8 billion) on cigarettes a year, newspapers said on Thursday. Most of the estimated six million smokers in the largest Arab economy and world’s top oil exporter are aged between 17 and 40 years, the papers said, quoting well known psychologist Ali Zaeri as saying in a study. The largest number of smokers in the Gulf Kingdom is based in the western Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city after the capital Riyadh, he said.

Cigarette Maker in Wismilak, Tobacco Markets

Surabaya cigarette maker Wismilak Inti Makmur plans to sell 30 percent of its stake in an initial public offering later this year, in an effort to capitalize on the increasing appetite among investors in the local equities market. The company, whose brands include Wismilak and Galan, has selected Mandiri Sekuritas and OSK Nusadana Securities to help arrange the IPO. The company did not provide other terms such as total estimated funds to be raised from the IPO. Wismilak will join Gudang Garam — the country’s largest clove cigarette maker — as well as Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna and Bentoel International as tobacco companies on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX). Wismilak, founded in 1962 as Gelora Djaja and adopted its current name in 1994.

Passive Smoking and Memory Lose

We all know cigarettes are bad for our health, but researchers now claim that non-smokers who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke are at risk of damaging their memory. The researchers compared a group of current smokers with two groups of non-smokers - those regularly exposed to second-hand smoke and those who were not. They found that non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke forgot almost 20 per cent more than the non-smokers who were not exposed.

Tobacco Sales in Malawi Kwacha

Malawi Kwacha is still struggling on the market though tobacco sales which are a major source of the country’s forex have just been closed. According to the National Bank of Malawi’s Economic Newsletter released in September, the country is still struggling to match with other foreign currencies. An Economist working at the National Bank of Malawi, Shadreck Malenga, has revealed that the Malawi Kwacha will continue to suffer on the world market for some time before it becomes stable. He said this is so because of other external factors which are affecting the country. Marlboro cigarettes.

Menthol Flavour in Cigarettes Banned, Australia News

South Australia is moving to ban displays for a new type of menthol cigarette, fearing they appeal to young smokers. The new cigarettes have a small capsule in the filter which bursts when squeezed, releasing a menthol flavour. Three brands using the idea have recently been released in South Australia. 'This new product has a futuristic, modern design and packaging and is being targeted at the youth market,' Health Minister John Hill said.

Graphic Smoking Warnings Approved in Russia

The Healthcare Ministry of the Russian Federation approved 12 graphic images about the dangers of smoking to be placed on tobacco packaging. It was said that cigarette packs would display appalling pictures with the words "Emphysema", "Cancer", "Periodontal Disease", "Misery," "Self-destruction", "Amputation", "Aging", "Stillbirth", "Prematurity", "Dependence," "Danger," "Impotence," RBC reports.

Smoking Banned Outside, Bay Village Tobacco-Free

Bay Village has joined the long list of communities and businesses that have gone tobacco-free. The city adopted a policy of hiring only tobacco-free employees last week. The mayor has decided to go further, banning the use of tobacco altogether from all city-owned property outside of municipal buildings. "It's a little bit of a gutsy step," said Mayor Deborah Sutherland. "When you see people struggle just to get a breath and it's unnecessary, self-inflicted."

Cigarettes and Alcohol Taxes Increased

The cabinet on Tuesday approved the Finance Ministry's proposal to raise the excise tax on liquor and tobacco, meaning an immediate increase in the retail price of liquor and cigarettes, but not beer or wine. The alcohol excise tax on rice whiskey was increased from 120 baht a litre to 150 baht a litre based on alcohol content, and for blended liquor from 300 baht to 350 baht per litre. The tax on brandy increased to a maximum of 50 per cent from the existing rate of 48 per cent.

Smoking Prohibited in Parks, Secondhand Smoke

One town has declared 13 parks and open spaces ‘smoke-free sites’. Signs have been placed at the entrance to the parks and playing fields, explaining the measure is ‘to protect children’. But the Blackpool NHS initiative, backed by the town’s council, which cannot be legally enforced without a specific by-law, has angered pro-smoking groups. Simon Clark, director of Forest, said the signs had nothing to do with children’s health but were about stopping adults smoking around them. Mr Clark added: ‘If you want adults to be better role models does that mean you stop them drinking and arguing in front of children?’

Checking Tobacco Use in China

In China, 350 million people smoke. Each year, 1 million die from smoking. Many more become disabled. Approximately 20 million Chinese farmers produce the world's largest share of tobacco, nearly 40 percent of the global supply. What is the key to cutting the number of deaths and smoking-related health problems? Convince Chinese farmers to grow some other crop. Virginia Li, a professor of community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, set out to do just that. She contacted local Chinese agriculture officials in Yunnan Province, where Asia's largest cigarette manufacturer is located. Li and her local partners designed a tobacco crop–substitution project, the core of which is a farmer-led, for-profit enterprise.

Smoking Ban in Parks, Kaua County News

A bill proposing to ban all tobacco products in county parks almost turned into a resolution weeks ago, which would take away its enforcement component. Rather, the bill was sent back to committee and now has morphed into an anti-smoking bill. “It would have been a lot easier if it was a total ban, but we are looking for a win-win situation here,” Kaua‘i County Councilman Dickie Chang said at the council meeting Wednesday. The council’s Parks and Recreation Committee, on its second round of dealing with the bill, on Wednesday recommended by a 3-2 vote that the full council approve the bill next week. Bill 2437 has been bouncing around the council since Chang first introduced it on May 23, when it passed first reading. The Parks and Recreation Committee deferred the bill June 20, and on July 5 the bill squeezed out of the committee by a 3-2 vote. On July 11, at the full council for final and second reading, both sides of the issue — the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawai‘i and those who opposed the ban — were not satisfied with the bill’s final version. Instead of working on further amendments, the council sent the bill back to committee for additional work.

Female Smoking Hookah

Hookah smoking, which most American children first became acquainted with after watching the animated Alice in Wonderland, is becoming increasingly popular among first-year college women, many of who (incorrectly) believe that hookah smoke is a relatively innocuous alternative to cigarettes. The study, funded by those concerned souls over at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, suggests a link between hookah smoking and alcohol and marijuana use, as well as an increased propensity for pretension.

University Of Maryland Smoke-Free Campus

Smokers studying at the University of Maryland have one year to either kick their habit or find new, off-campus hangouts. UMD has announced that by June 30, 2013, all campuses in its system will be 100 percent smoke-free. "Drivers also pose a health risk with their behavior. Should we ban them too?" asked one commentator on a recent article in the Diamondback, the university's student newspaper. "Let's also ban bikers, who can crash into you. And runners who are not paying attention. Oh and lets add side walks, branches, squirrels, rats, cockroachs, fleas (bubonic plague?), the list goes on..." Another sneered, "[M]aryland = nanny state. get out while you can." Still others invoked George Orwell's totalitarian "Big Brother" figure.

Smokers Nicotine Vaccine

American research says that one day smokers could be immunized against nicotine so they gain no pleasure from it - possibly killing off smoking forever. Scientists in the US have devised a vaccine that floods the body with an antibody which stops nicotine having any effect. Nicotine levels in the brains of mice injected with the antibody reduced by 85%, the study published in Science Translational Medicine found.