title: Holding smokers accountable for heart disease costs.
abstract: This article discusses escalating health care costs in terms of their principal component, cardiovascular diseases. The role of cigarette smoking is highlighted throughout. A Smoker's Accountability Trust is proposed for the prevention of nonfatal myocardial infarction. It is demonstrated that this approach can contain costs by controlling the root causes of their acceleration.
authors.affiliation: Augusta Hypertension, PC, GA 30901.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Kaesemeyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D003363:Cost Control; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics*; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013660:Taxes; D014481:United States