Direct Healthcare Cost by Smoking Status Among Ontario Adults

Using Ontario Tobacco Survey data (a representative sample of Ontario adults) linked with health administrative data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, we found a significant interaction effect between age and smoking status on direct healthcare costs. Current smokers cost the healthcare system much more than never and former smokers after the age of 70. Findings from this study suggest that quitting, even at advanced ages, can help reduce healthcare costs.