Smoke from fires and smog soil a Sacramento sunset. A new study says the
state’s dirty air cost $193 million over three years in hospital visits alone.
Numerous studies have proved that dirty air causes serious health problems, such as asthma, lung and heart disease, and premature death.
Therefore, one cannot help but conclude that dirty air must play a significant role in driving up the burgeoning health care costs in California – costs that taxpayers, employers and insurance providers have been forced to bear.
Until now, the exact amount this is costing the health care industry had not been quantified, but a new study released by the Rand Corp. this week shows us, for the first time, just how significant this cost is to the private health insurance companies and taxpayer-funded health plans in California.
The report found that dirty air has cost private and public health care plans $193 million over a three-year period in hospital admissions and emergency room visits only. And this does not include the cost of medical care for chronic problems caused by dirty air, such as asthma or lung disease.
Public health plans funded by taxpayers, such as Medicare and Medi-Cal, are faced with the largest burden. However, private health plans, including Kaiser Permanente, Secure Horizons (part of United Healthcare) and Blue Cross of California are also affected, with a large bill for hospitalizations due to air pollution.
These costs are felt across the entire state, but some areas incur greater spending than others do, especially in the Los Angeles area and the San Joaquin Valley – where the air quality is ranked among the worst in the nation. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the majority of the costs incurred for health problems related to dirty air by private and public health plans are concentrated in these two areas.
At a time when out-of-control health costs are a major contributor to our state’s economic paralysis, we must look at all means of saving money while investing in a better future. There are much more efficient ways for private and public health plans to spend $193 million.
For example, we could provide mammograms to every California woman age 40 to 64 who is uninsured or on Medi-Cal. Another wise investment would be to provide flu shots for eight out of every 10 kids in California under age 15, or we could provide primary care checkups to every uninsured Californian under age 15.
Besides reinvesting these funds in a more equitable way, there is also a more practicable solution: If lawmakers ensure that California meets the federal clean-air standards sooner rather than later, then the health and economic pitfalls caused by dirty air become preventable and a non-issue.
Given these tough economic times, it is easy for lawmakers to say, “There is no money,” and stick to the age-old remedies of trying to balance the budget and stave off economic crisis.
But if we do not start adopting new measures for dealing with the problems that continue to plague California, all we are doing is using Band-Aids to try to stop major bleeds.
The cost of inaction is too great, and it is time we realize that we have as much of an economic problem as a health problem when it comes to air quality control. According to a study released last year by California State University, Fullerton, California’s economy loses $28 billion every year in the form of lost work days, illness and premature death due to dirty air, something the state is in no position to let happen.
Meeting federal clean-air standards would ensure that Californians are healthier and more productive, and would save millions each year. We must resist the temptation to do nothing while taxpayers and businesses are losing millions and gasping for relief.
Mervyn M. Dymally
