According to the CDC, smoking kills 480,000 Americans annually. There is a large chance that this number can be declined. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has made the decision to further implement a smoking ban in public housing to greater protect the health of residents from the dangers of tobacco smoke. The decision to establish a nationwide smoking ban will greatly affect the residents of these homes but also our country. While some residents may feel that their personal freedoms are being taken away due to the ban, the health risks of smoking greatly outweigh this personal concern. Without this smoking ban, smokers in public housing don’t just put their own health rat risk, but they also jeopardize the health of neighbors and cause millions of dollars in structural damage to the units. "Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves a chance to grow up in a healthy, smoke-free home" said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy (qtd. in Markon, Jerry, Rein), and that is exactly what this ban will do.
BACKGROUND INFO
Ever since the HUD push for public housing units to create an anti-smoking policy in 2009, in …show more content…
millions of dollars every year from a decline in health care costs and renovation costs and repairs that have been done in public housing units. Last year, the CDC estimated that a ban on smoking in public housing would save the U.S. $153 million a year due to a reduce in these expenses (“Smoke-Free Public Housing”). There will be a decline in healthcare costs due to less exposure to tobacco smoke, which will result in less medical problems for these residents. The HUD predicts that $94 million will be saved. This is the cost of healthcare for low-income children (Pyke). The rates of smoking have remained higher among Medicaid receivers than people who are insured through the private market. Many of the families living in public housing are recipients of
BACKGROUND INFO
Ever since the HUD push for public housing units to create an anti-smoking policy in 2009, in …show more content…
millions of dollars every year from a decline in health care costs and renovation costs and repairs that have been done in public housing units. Last year, the CDC estimated that a ban on smoking in public housing would save the U.S. $153 million a year due to a reduce in these expenses (“Smoke-Free Public Housing”). There will be a decline in healthcare costs due to less exposure to tobacco smoke, which will result in less medical problems for these residents. The HUD predicts that $94 million will be saved. This is the cost of healthcare for low-income children (Pyke). The rates of smoking have remained higher among Medicaid receivers than people who are insured through the private market. Many of the families living in public housing are recipients of