Yesterday, a new report was released that details the impact on Ohio of a proposal by President Obama to expand early childhood education and fund it with an increase in federal tobacco taxes. It was released by group of organizations that included: National Women’s Law Center, Save the Children, MomsRising, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and American Academy of Pediatrics.
Specifically in our state, this initiative would provide 12,628 more children from low- and moderate-income families with access to high-quality preschool in the first year alone and prevent 88,500 kids from becoming addicted smokers. This would be a true win-win for the buckeye state!
Additional Ohio benefits include:
- Additional funds provided for preschool in the first year: $103.4 million
- Residents saved from premature, smoking-caused deaths: 49,200
- Current adult smokers who would quit in the first year: 74,400
- 10 year health care cost savings from fewer smoking caused lung cancer cases, heart attacks & strokes, and smoking affected pregnancies & births: $167.24 million
In his fiscal year 2014 budget, President Obama proposed to expand federal funding for early education programs, paid for with a 94-cent per pack increase in the federal cigarette tax and a proportional increase in the federal tax on other tobacco products. “Taken together, these two measures would help ensure a future of smart, healthy kids nationwide and in every state,” the report concludes.
The report can be found at www.smarthealthykids.org. It details the educational and health benefits of the President’s proposal nationwide and in every state.
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