Early this year, when Gov. Mitch Daniels proposed a hefty increase in Indiana's cigarette tax, most Evansville Courier & Press
Hoosier lawmakers ran the other way. They didn't even allow it out of committee. No doubt, their numbers included those who did not want to be associated with any tax increase or those who did not want to light a fire under smokers during in an election year.
And, some said they did not want to get behind a tax increase without having a specific need for the increased revenue.
It was true. Daniels had proposed a 25-cent-per-pack tax increase without having a specific target for the income. But he did have a purpose for proposing the tax: to improve the health of Hoosiers.
He believed that by raising the price of cigarettes, it would encourage many smokers to stop or to curtail their smoking - especially the young.
We said at the time that it was a thoughtful proposal with the intended purpose of the tax was to create a healthier Indiana. But that reason wasn't good enough for the Legislature, and the legislation never found legs.
But Daniels said he would be back for the 2007 legislative session, and he is. And this time he has a specific proposal for how to spend the money.
Daniels was in Evansville on Wednesday to pitch his proposal to increase cigarette taxes in order to provide health insurance coverage to low-income Hoosiers. Funding would be used also to expand access to vaccinations for children, and to help anti-smoking efforts.
He said that raising the cigarette tax by 25 cents a pack could pay for health insurance for 120,000 adults, and raising it 50 cents would extend coverage to 200,000 Hoosiers. The insurance would be available to adults in households that earn less than double the federal poverty level and who do not have employer-sponsored health insurance.
Each eligible participant would receive preventive care of up to $500 annually, and a $1,100 personal wellness account which would be funded by individual and by state contributions.
It could be used for medical costs, such as physician visits, tests and prescriptions.
In response, Democratic Rep. Patrick Bauer, who will become speaker of the House in January, said he welcomed the proposal as a starting point for a discussion on making health care more affordable. He called it a small step and a small proposal.
Well, that's better than the response Daniels received during the last session, when his Republican Party controlled both houses. And according to census figures, Indiana has more than 550,000 individuals who are uninsured.
Granted, a proposal of this importance will require discussion at the Legislature. We look forward to those hearings.
But lawmakers should not lose sight of Daniels' motivation. He has it right in wanting to improve the health of Hoosiers.
He said that Indiana has the second highest rate of smoking in the nation (27 percent of adults last year), the third highest rate of cancer deaths, and the rates of obesity and heart disease are among the top 12. At the same time, Indiana's 55.5 cent tax on each pack of cigarettes is one of the lowest in the country.
The reality and the image of Indiana being an unhealthy place to live must change: The cigarette tax is a good place to begin.