Proposition 86 would triple the cigarette tax, from 87¢ to $3.47 a pack, bringing the total cost for a cigarette pack to about $6.60. The estimated $2.1 billion raised every year would give health insurance to kids who don't have it and reimburse emergency rooms for serving the uninsured. Most of the $50 million raised to fight Prop 86 comes from the tobacco companies. There's $13 million against it, mostly from hospitals. Would Prop 86 make California a healthier state? Is it fair to smokers? Would it encourage cigarette smuggling by criminal gangs?
Proposition 86: Should Smokers Save ER's and Provide Healthcare for Children?
Credits
Guests:
- Lynda Gledhill - Sacramento Correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle
- Charlie W. Shaeffer - Former president of the American Heart Association
- Carla Haas - Spokeswoman for No on 86