Don’t cut vital spending on health from state budget

The residents of Washington did not create the state’s current budget issues, and our lives should not be put at risk as our state’s politicians dig out of this massive hole created in Olympia.

That is exactly what would happen if Gov. Bob Ferguson and others with state budget oversight decide to slash critical health budgets just to close the financial gap. These are programs Washington residents need to keep cancer and other diseases at bay, specifically the tobacco prevention and cessation budget and the program that provides breast and cervical screenings for low-income individuals.

Keeping smoking and other tobacco use in check is an ongoing process that must be a priority considering the unquestionable damage these products do in our state. On top of the loss of over 8,000 lives a year, Big Tobacco also costs our state $3.26 billion annually in health care expenses related to tobacco use. Eliminating prevention and cessation dollars would be giving Big Tobacco a massive gift that we cannot afford and would cost us more down the road in the form of medical costs from additional people addicted to their products.

Regular screenings are critical to finding cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage, and the state program allows people of lower incomes to get care that should not only be reserved for those who make more. Yes, the budget is bad. But it’s not bad enough to sacrifice the health of our family, friends and neighbors.

Robin Sparks

Marysville