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Article: Senate panel OKs tobacco bill.(Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee passes bill requiring tobacco industry to pay $506 billion into federal trust fund)
- Article from:
- Modern Healthcare
- Article date:
- April 6, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A senate committee's approval of a bill that would levy billions of dollars from the tobacco industry will set up a healthcare funding battle when Congress returns to work in mid-April.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last week OK'd a bill that would require the tobacco industry to pay $506 billion over 25 years to a federal trust fund as part of a national settlement of lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers. The bill does not specify how the money is to be spent but suggests it be used for smoking prevention and cessation as well as reimbursement to Medicare and other public health programs for the cost of tobacco-related illnesses.
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