Fewest Americans smoking in last 50 years

Storyteller Garrison Keillor once spun a tale about the nation's last enclave of smokers, holed up in a remote mountain village, facing a seige of federal regulators arriving in helicopters.

Things haven't gone quite that far, although smokers forced outside into Tuesday's blizzard might disagree.

But no-smoking areas and many other factors have contributed to a 50-year low in the number of U.S. smokers, a decline of 1 percent in 2014 alone.

Insurance incentives to stop smoking is another reason for the decline, and that's not hard to understand.

"Smoking kills half a million Americans each year and costs more than $300 billion," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unfortunately, some of the people who can least afford to smoke are most likely to. The 2014 National Health Interview Survey show that 27.9 percent of uninsured adults and 29.1 percent of Medicaid recipients now smoke. By contrast, 12.9 percent of adults with private insurance and 12.5 percent of those on Medicare currently smoke.

Thursday, Nov. 19, would be a good day decide to change your status from "smoker" to "non-smoker," with the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout.

While you probably won't be able to quit smoking "cold turkey," the decision to quit smoking has almost immediate results, according to the American Cancer Society.

Within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop. Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. Within two to three months, your circulation improves and your lung function increases. After one year of living tobacco free, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker's. Although the health benefits are greater if you quit smoking at an earlier age, quitting any form of tobacco is good for your health at any age.

Help is as close as your telephone, by calling the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline at 1 (800) QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or 1-855-DEJELO-YA (855-355-3569) in Spanish.

It's a free service to all Nebraska residents 16 and older, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 2014, nearly 3,000 people called the Quitline, more than half of them suffering from chronic conditions resulting from, or aggravated by tobacco use.

Callers get a full range of services including a coach, self-help materials, referrals to local programs or a mix.

Among the local referrals is Community Hospital, which offers tobacco cessation classes on a regular basis. Call (308) 344-2650 or (308) 344-8387, or check chmccook.org for more information.

All information provided to the state Quitline is confidential and calls and coaching sessions are free.

Nebraskans with Medicaid coverage are eligible for nicotine replacement medications at a reduced co-pay, generally less than $10. People with Medicaid coverage should contact their healthcare provider about the referral process to use the quitline.

Online help is available at www.QuitNow.ne.gov as is a QuitNow mobile app for smart phones.

For more information about the Great American Smokeout, visit http://www.cancer.org/index.