Beebe says cigarette tax hike should fund trauma system

LITTLE ROCK Gov. Mike Beebe said Tuesday that an increase in the cigarette tax should help pay for a statewide trauma system.

A figure loosely being thrown around by legislators for the tax increase is 50 cents.

"I'm not sure on 50 cents yet, it might need to be more than that," Beebe said. "Right now, I am in discussions, and I am in support of a cigarette tax (increase). Unequivocally."

The tax would go toward funding a trauma system in Arkansas. Beebe said a cigarette tax increase of 50 cents would annually bring in $71-$73 million for the trauma system and other health care programs. Beebe said the estimate used to determine annual revenue from the tax factors in a reduction in Arkansas smokers based on the price increase.

"They factor in a reduction amount based upon the higher tax, and every time it goes up it does have an effect at reducing the number of smokers. Particularly young people," Beebe said. "It has an effect on reducing the number of people who even start. That's where the greatest decline is."

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Beebe is suggesting that the tax revenue go into the state's general revenue.

"That's better public policy," Beebe said. "Sometimes you don't have the luxury of being able to do that to politically get something passed. But it's always the best public policy."

Establishing a statewide trauma system, according to Beebe, for $28 million would include three level 1 trauma centers. One would be one of the three Little Rock hospitals, Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Regional Medical Center at Memphis (The MED), which would serve parts of eastern Arkansas.

"(The MED) would serve citizens in a number of counties in Arkansas, which we would help pay for our patients at a fair and reasonable rate," Beebe said. The plan also includes various level 2, 3 and 4 centers across the state, depending upon need and resources.

Incoming Speaker of the House Robbie Wills, D-Conway, said he was disappointed that funding for a trauma system wasn't established during the last general assembly.

"In 2007, one of our greatest regrets, or one of my greatest regrets, is that we weren't able to finalize legislation on the trauma system," Wills said. "We had an agreement between the House and the Senate as to the need, an agreement as to the benefit that would be provided.

"Unfortunately, this came late in the session. We had an idea in the House as to how to fund that. The Senate had an idea down there. They were both equally good ideas, but as you know we have to have agreement between the House and the Senate. We simply ran out of time."

According to Wills, the need for a state trauma system is still there, if not greater.

"For a lot of Arkansans, particularly in the eastern part of the state, if you're in a traumatic car accident or four-wheeler wreck or receive a gunshot wound, you're going to be taken to the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis, Tenn.," Wills said. "They take care of a lot of our residents. They do a lot of that care uncompensated.

"In that golden hour, that clock starts ticking from the minute it happens. Right now in the state, we have no way of knowing who is prepared to receive you, who is prepared to give you care and we don't have an integrated system of even knowing how to get you there. ... We've got to get this done. It's a very close second to the lottery in terms of importance of the issues that we will be involved in from a leadership standpoint."

(Managing Editor Waylon Harris can be reached by e-mail at waylon.harris@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1233.)