The Arkansas Legislative Council voted Friday not to review a contract for the state's smoking-cessation hotline.
That will make Arkansas the only state in the nation without a so-called quitline unless lawmakers change their minds, Gary Wheeler, the state's chief medical officer, said after the meeting. The current contract expires June 30, but Wheeler said lawmakers were discussing giving it a one-month extension.
In Arkansas, 24.7 percent of adults used cigarettes in 2014, according to the latest statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only West Virginia and Kentucky have higher rates of cigarette use among adults.
Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, who made the motion to not review, said the state is spending too much money on the contract. The state budgeted $1.8 million for the contract, but a state official said that through May, less than $1 million was spent on it in this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
"I've got a few questions," Hester told Wheeler during the meeting.
"Did we have any state companies apply to this?" he asked. "Why is it $1.8 million for a hotline? Is it necessary? And then, how many people called the hotline last year? What was their work product?"
No state companies applied for the contract. National Jewish Health in Denver provides counseling, nicotine patches and special programs for groups and pregnant women.
About 11,900 called and asked for follow-up services, Wheeler said. About 3,800 quit smoking as a result of the call center last year.
He said he didn't know of any legal requirement to have a quitline.
Rep. Josh Miller, R-Heber Springs, asked Wheeler whether the state could get 3,800 people to cease smoking for less money.
"We think it's a very good investment for the rate of return," Wheeler said. "We consider it really a cornerstone of our cessation activity in the state."
He estimated that the state saves $28 for every $1 it invests in the program because of the cost of treating those with smoking-related diseases, including people on Medicare and Medicaid.
Sen. Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs, asked how much money the state spends on tobacco cessation.
Wheeler said the state budgets $12 million from tobacco settlement funds to spend on cessation efforts. (After the meeting, Michelle Snortland, branch chief of the tobacco prevention and cessation program, said the program had cost the state $6.4 million through May. Besides the quitline, money goes toward other program components, including grants and youth prevention programs, as well as salaries and office space for workers.)
"I just think at some point the health committee or somebody needs to look at whether we're getting $12 million worth of value," Hendren said. "I think it's hard to just keep throwing millions and millions of dollars without data to show that it's actually working."
Wheeler said he believes the data show the program is working.
"I think if we rate ourselves with the other states, it's important to remember how bad we started off. Arkansas for years and years and years has had the highest rates of tobacco use in the country," he said. "When you start high, it doesn't matter how much you come down if the other states are coming down, too."
Sen. Cecile Bledsoe, R-Rogers, was the only lawmaker to speak positively of the state's cessation efforts.
"I really am a big fan of the TV ads that show the consequences of smoking," she said. "This speaks to teenagers, and it also speaks to adults."
She invited Wheeler to the next meeting of the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee. She chairs the committee in the Senate.
After 30 minutes of discussion, Hester said he wanted to make a statement.
"I'm almost positive that smoking cessation is covered by insurance plans now as required as a benefit under the [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act] -- so everyone should have some benefit with this," he said. "And with that, I'm going to make a motion that this contract not be reviewed."
In a voice vote, the motion passed with little dissent. However, the quitline isn't gone yet, Wheeler said in an interview Friday afternoon.
"The current contract will expire June 30, but my understanding is today that after we all left there were some agreements to seek an extension for a month so it will at least go through next month," he said.
The Public Health committee is key to that effort, he added.
In an interview, Michael Keck, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the quitline helps prevent cancer.
Next year, about 2,600 Arkansans are expected to be diagnosed with lung cancer and nearly 2,200 will die of the disease, he said.
"The quitline is a valuable tool to assist people in quitting smoking," he said. "If I heard correctly, there's going to be an opportunity, when this is discussed in Public Health next month, for this to continue to be discussed. I would encourage all the members of the Legislature to weigh in and weigh in positively on this."
Metro on 06/18/2016