Good and cheap

Smoking, obesity, and substance abuse are the primary causes of poor health in Texas, and cost employers and state and local governments billions of dollars a year. So it makes sense that spending little or no money now to curb these preventable conditions could save a lot of money later. That's why the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Public Health Coalition support bills in this year's budget-conscious session of the legislature that would both reduce health care costs and decrease the burden of disease in the state by curtailing tobacco use and impeding the growth in obesity.