California’s New Cigarette Tax Causing Some Smokers To Snuff Out Habit
The $2-per-pack increase kicked in on Saturday. The tax is expected to generate $1.4 billion in its first year.
The Sacramento Bee:
Will California's New Cigarette Tax Make More Smokers Quit?
Plunk down a pack of cigarettes at the cash register and be prepared to pay up, way up. As of April 1, Californians are forking over an extra $2 per pack. Some smokers this past week said they were stocking up on cartons, ahead of Saturday’s price hike. Others said it’s jolting them into finally snuffing out cigarettes for good. (Buck, 4/1)
The Mercury News:
Tobacco Tax: $2 Price Hike Hits Smokers On Saturday
Expected to generate $1.4 billion in its first year, most of the additional tax will go toward Medi-Cal, which provides health coverage for California’s poor and which backers say shoulders $3.5 billion a year for treating tobacco-related illnesses. The rest of the new tax will go to support cancer research and smoking-prevention programs. (Seipel, 4/1)
Politico Pro:
California's New Tobacco Tax Sparks Provider Rate Dispute
California’s $2-per-pack cigarette tax increase, which goes into effect Saturday, is causing tension between the state’s Medicaid providers and Gov. Jerry Brown. ... The latest budget proposal, which Brown released in January, directs $1.2 billion to a Department of Health Care Services fund to support new growth in Medi-Cal expenses as compared to the last fiscal year. But groups representing the doctors and dentists who treat the state’s neediest residents want Brown to commit funds to boosting provider reimbursement rates, which are among the lowest in the country. (Colliver, 3/31)