Pregnant smokers will get food vouchers worth up to £650 if they agree to give up cigarettes, under a scheme proposed by the Scottish government.
Women who quit will receive grocery vouchers worth £12.50-a-week during their pregnancy and for three months after their child is born.
To qualify, they will have to prove they have given up smoking by taking a weekly breath test at a local chemist, which records carbon monoxide levels.
Ministers believe the initiative could help thousands of women quit every year, saving the lives of children and protecting them against ill health.
However, critics claim the scheme is a waste of taxpayers’ money when public finances are already overstretched. They say pregnant mothers should give up for the sake of their unborn children rather than for financial gain — and quitting tobacco would save a 20-a-day smoker about £35 a week anyway.
The initiative is based on a pilot scheme in Tayside, which the NHS claims was a success. Half of smokers gave up after a month of enrolling, but the figure fell to 31% after three months and 21% after a year.
The Give it up for Baby (GIUFB) scheme, which was launched in 2007, has been taken up by 400 women and cost £43,496 to run last year.
The Scottish government is also looking at the national rollout of another pilot scheme in Tayside, quit4u, which offers all smokers £12.50 a week in shopping vouchers to quit.
Mark Wallace, the campaign director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, described the vouchers as “an extremely dubious use of taxpayers’ money”, saying: “At best, the government will be bribing people to do something they should do for the sake of their baby anyway, while at worst some people might smoke a few cigarettes in order to qualify for the scheme.”
However, Sheila Duffy, chief executive of the anti-tobacco charity ASH Scotland, said the scheme had been shown to work. “The GIUFB model provides women with community-based stop-smoking support, as well as a financial incentive to remain a non-smoker,” she said. “I am strongly supportive of rolling this model out across Scotland.”
Alex Salmond, the first minister, said ministers were “actively considering how to roll the GIUFB pilot out throughout the country”.
Shona Robison, the public health minister, added: “We’re working with NHS boards to encourage pregnant smokers — or smokers planning a pregnancy — to quit. It is important to see how good local initiatives such as NHS Tayside’s Give it up for Baby can be scaled up and delivered more systematically. The initial results do seem to suggest that this incentive approach significantly increases the chances of pregnant women successfully quitting smoking.”
Some research suggests income has little to do with a determination to quit. According to a study, 4.8% of women from the least deprived parts of Scotland stopped smoking when pregnant, compared with 4.5% in the most deprived.
Despite a series of public campaigns, only 3% of smokers give up when pregnant. Mothers-to-be who smoke run a higher risk of miscarriage, and their children are more at risk of cot death and health and developmental problems.
The 101 Dumbest Moments In Business 2003 EDITION Whiffed pitch No. 6: blatant stereotyping. By Mark Athitakis April 1, 2003 (Business 2.0)– GRAND PRIZE WINNER, DUMBEST MOMENT OF 2002 In September, insurance company AmeriChoice brings trucks to blighted neighborhoods in New York City and gives away coupons for free chickens as an incentive for the underprivileged to switch their Medicare coverage. New York state senator Carl Kruger files a complaint with the state attorney general. The 101 Dumbest Moments In Business 2003 EDITION –
2009 2010
Philadelphia PA Mayor Nutter received two years in a row $60,000 in checks to help keep open and operate the city swimming polls. These checks came from AmeriChoice Health and on the surface seems like fine gifts. Yet,they are Bribes non the less, these checks come from a company who receives all its money from the Federal State Governments as a vendor for Medicare Medicaid services is not allowed to offer bribes inducements,kickbacks and money gifts of any kind in order to promote its share of the market place. This is also not allowed as a use of your taxpayers dollars, yes it happens. Americhoice Health has a long history of corruption Yet,it seems to be protected by those who are responsible to over see their actions why is that? Sorry must apologize just received a notice that AmeriChoice Health was under the impression they thought they were suppose to have started their very own stimulus and economic program package and the one they implemented, they had no idea it violated the Stark,Health and Kickbacks laws.
Among its provisions, the anti-kickback statute penalizes anyone who knowingly and willfully solicits, receives, offers or pays remuneration in cash or in kind to induce, or in return for: A. Referring an individual to a person for the furnishing, or arranging for the furnishing, of any item or service payable under the Medicare or Medicaid program; or B. Purchasing, leasing or ordering , or arranging for or recommending purchasing, leasing or ordering, any goods, facility, service or item payable under the Medicare or Medicaid program. Violators are subject to criminal penalties, or exclusion from participation in the Medicare and Medicaid rograms, or both. A violation of the anti-kickback law is a felony offense that carries criminal fines of up to $25,000 per violation, imprisonment for up to five years and exclusion from government health care programs.The federal anti-kickback statute, 42 U.S.C.§ 1320a-7b(b), prohibits individuals or entities from knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid or any other federally funded program.
Since all Ameri-Choice checks come from the United Health’s home office they should be held equally responsible for any bribes, kickbacks, Stark, Fraud and inducements violations that may have occured. Federal and State Governments have developed such a depended position with this company, guess the laws and rules no longer apply for them. Protected vendor status sure, politics sure, limited government budgets sure, Federal and State officals looking the other way sure, and rather then stop these activities a strong desire not to rock the boat exists. The Government created this monster and now they don’t know what to do about it, like shooting yourself in your own foot etc. Tons of money to advance their national growth, its market positions, tons of money for political donations, tons of money to send 75 millon back to its home office from New York state alone, tons of money to suppot National TV shows, tons of money to pay hugh State fines, tons of money to hire the very best law firms, tons of money for hugh salarys and bonuses, all done on the back of the American taxpayor, you see this company receives all its money from the Federal State governments.
PS In New Jersey Licensed Agents were fired for refusal to deliver bribe checks.