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18 States Spend Tobacco Money on Programs for the Elderly

Tue, 04/25/2000 - 11:00pm — Karen Stevenson
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The Master Settlement Agreement will benefit the elderly in many states. In 1998, 46 states agreed to a $206 billion settlement with the tobacco companies, to be paid out over 25 years. Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas had already reached their own deals for a combined $40 billion. Tobacco companies reached these settlements with state legislatures to compensate the states for the cost of providing health care services to people who were made ill from their use of tobacco.

According to a recently released National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) survey, the vast majority of states are considering using the tobacco settlement monies to fund programs for tobacco use prevention and health care services, however, 18 are also targeting some of those funds to programs for the elderly.

The states proposing to spend some of these funds on programs for the elderly are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont.

The Master Settlement Agreement will benefit the elderly in many states. In 1998, 46 states agreed to a $206 billion settlement with the tobacco companies, to be paid out over 25 years. Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas had already reached their own deals for a combined $40 billion. Tobacco companies reached these settlements with state legislatures to compensate the states for the cost of providing health care services to people who were made ill from their use of tobacco.

According to a recently released National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) survey, the vast majority of states are considering using the tobacco settlement monies to fund programs for tobacco use prevention and health care services, however, 18 are also targeting some of those funds to programs for the elderly.

The states proposing to spend some of these funds on programs for the elderly are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont.