“Everyone is familiar with the harmful health effects that result from smoking, but many smokers probably do not take the time to calculate the expense attached to the habit,” says Dustyn Shroff, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s leading independent health insurance provider.
For years Floridians have been educated on the dangers of smoking. The American Lung Association reports, “More than 480,000 people in the U.S. die every year from tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke. It is the leading cause of preventable death in this country.”
Cigarettes are loaded with cancer causing chemicals and are the primary source of lung cancer and COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also causes coronary heart disease and stroke with a list of other health issues.
You cannot ignore the addiction of smoking without being sympathetic to the difficultly in breaking the habit. Nicotine is a physical, social and psychological addiction.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, close to 35 million smokers want to quit each year. Unfortunately, more than 85 percent of those who try to quit on their own relapse within a week.
“Most smokers confess that smoking is bad for your health, but that doesn’t make it easier to quit,” says Buck with GreatFlorida Insurance.
If the above evidence isn’t enough to persuade you to quit, personal finance website, WalletHub.com recently published a study calculating the costs of smoking per state. “The study calculated the potential monetary losses including the cost of a pack of cigarettes per day over several decades, healthcare expenditures, income loss and other costs brought on by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.”
Over a lifetime, the average smoker in Florida will spend, $1, 453,333. Healthcare costs are estimated at $163, 277. Over a year, the average Florida smoker will spend $28, 497 with healthcare costs totaling $3, 202.
Whether the figures are exact for each smoker or a mere generalization, the fact is smoking is a drain on your wallet, healthcare costs and more importantly your life.
GreatFlorida Insurance provides health insurance that covers the cost of programs designed to help smokers to quit. Check with our independent insurance agents across Florida today to see how they can help.
