Evaluation of the economic impact of California's Tobacco Control Program: a dynamic model approach

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the long-term net economic impact of the California Tobacco Control Program. METHODS This study developed a series of dynamic models of smoking-caused mortality, morbidity, health status and healthcare expenditures. The models were used to evaluate the impact of the tobacco control programme. Outcomes of interest in the evaluation include net healthcare expenditures saved, years of life saved, years of treating smoking-related diseases averted and the total economic value of net healthcare savings and life saved by the programme. These outcomes are evaluated to 2079. Due to data limitations, the evaluations are conducted only for men. RESULTS The California Tobacco Control Program resulted in over 700,000 person-years of life saved and over 150,000 person-years of treatment averted for the 14.7 million male California residents alive in 1990. The value of net healthcare savings and years of life saved resulting from the programme was $22 billion or $107 billion in 1990 dollars, depending on how a year of life is discounted. If women were included, the impact would likely be much greater. CONCLUSIONS The benefits of California's Tobacco Control Program are substantial and will continue to accrue for many years. Although the programme has resulted in increased longevity and additional healthcare resources for some, this impact is more than outweighed by the value of the additional years of life. Modelling the programme's impact in a dynamic framework makes it possible to evaluate the multiple impacts that the programme has on life, health and medical expenditures.