Just as the Maine Development Foundation last week was flunking Maine yet again for its rising health care costs, advocates for one of the most effective health care cost-savers around were trying to persuade lawmakers not to let their program erode. The connection between the two is inescapable and should persuade lawmakers to back their request.

Maine departed from the national average for health care costs in the early 1990s, and the gap has expanded ever since. Everyone agrees costs must come down, but there is only occasional agreement how that should happen, except in one area: Reduced smoking equals reduced health care costs.

The advocates before Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees last week were trying to get more funding for the Maine Tobacco HelpLine, which has results that show it has helped thousands of people quit smoking. The program needs new money – not from the General Fund but unexpended balances in the Fund for Health Maine – to maintain services. The question before lawmakers is whether they are going to keep one of the undisputed success stories of the state’s drive to improve the health

of Maine residents.

HelpLine has served more than 24,000 people to date, often those without insurance who would receive no help without it. HelpLine gets results. According to the Maine Coalition for Smoking or Health, HelpLine participants have triple the quit rate – 23.4 percent – compared with those who try to quit on their own; for those getting free medications through the service, the quit rate is nearly 36 percent.

Maine congratulated itself earlier this year because it became the first state to get the American Lung Association’s top grades in helping to reduce smoking. The state has indeed done well – since 1997, the rate among high-school smokers has dropped 60 percent; for adults, it has fallen from nearly 30 percent to 21 percent – excellent news. But that still only gets Maine close to the national average of 20 percent. There’s still much more room for improvement and many millions more dollars to be saved as a result. A rough estimate by the Bureau of Health of lifetime savings from maintaining the program with the $500,000 is nearly $6 million in health care savings.

Whatever form of health care financing you like, everyone should agree that the best savings come from good health. HelpLine is a dependable way to improve the health of Maine residents. It has proven itself effective, but to remain in service it needs money. The proposal before lawmakers would provide $500,000 over two years from existing funds, a smart investment. HelpLine deserves support; Maine deserves the improved health.