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Neonatal health care costs attributable to smoking total more than $228 million each year in the United States. Providing counseling for the 25 percent of pregnant smokers on Medicaid would reduce smoking prevalence by 18 percent avoiding nearly $10 million in Medicaid costs alone per year.

Maternal and Child Health Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs (MCH SAMMEC)

MCH SAMMEC is an online application that can estimate the number of smoking-attributable deaths and years of potential life lost for infants in the United States, as well as neonatal medical expenditures for certain user-defined populations.

To access MCH SAMMEC, individuals must register using a username and password. Users can view existing reports on the health and economic outcomes of smoking during pregnancy or use the computations option and fill-in data to produce reports.

Visit MCH SAMMEC at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/sammec/mch_login.html

Materials on the Economic Impact of Smoking During Pregnancy

Advocacy and public health organizations have developed materials on the economic impact of smoking during pregnancy.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fact sheet, Health & Economic Impact: Smoking Cessation for Pregnant Women, provides information on the problem of smoking during pregnancy. The effectiveness and economic benefits of cessation interventions are highlighted as well as a cost-benefit analysis. Visit, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/economics/health_econ_impact.pdf

The Association of Maternal and Child Health (AMCHP) fact sheet entitled, Smoking Cessation Makes Cents: The Cost-Effectiveness of Tobacco Interventions, describes the cost-effectiveness of smoking cessation during pregnancy. To view, visit http://www.amchp1.org/policy/docs/factsheet-smokingcessation.htm

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids developed a presentation on estimating the costs and savings of a Medicare and Medicaid cessation benefit. Click on link to download this presentation. (Create link for PowerPoint presentation) http://tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0168.pdf

Women and Smoking, fact sheet describes the health effects of smoking during pregnancy, such as low birth weight and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Click on the link below to view this fact. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Women_and_Smoking.html

Fact sheet on smoking during pregnancy includes information on harm to the newborn and pregnancy complications. To view this fact sheet follow this link.

Fact sheets on smoking during pregnancy and exposure secondhand smoke

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0007.pdf