How do smokers evaluate evidence that smoking harms health? Some evidence suggests that smokers overestimate health risks from smoking. This book challenges this conclusion. The authors find that smokers tend to be overly optimistic about their longevity and future health if they quit later in life. Older adults' decisions to quit smoking require personal experience with the serious health impacts associated with smoking. Smokers over fifty revise their risk perceptions only after experiencing a major health shock--such as a heart attack. But less serious symptoms, such as shortness of breath, do not cause changes in perceptions. Waiting for such a jolt to occur is imprudent. The authors show that well-crafted messages about how smoking affects quality of life can greatly affect current perceptions of smoking risks. If smokers are informed of long-term consequences of a disease, and if they are told that quitting can indeed come too late, they are able to evaluate the risks of smoking more accurately, and act accordingly.

​​​Progressives need a balanced federal budget morethan Conservatives, because they believe that government has an important role toplay in modern life. Lack of a long term plan to move toward a sustainablebudget crowds out short term Progressive priorities: infrastructure spending,green technology, education and needed governmental interventions in the shortterm to support and improve our weak economy. The federal budget is unsustainable. For all the bluster of the debt ceilingdebate, the plan passed so far does not address the changes most obviouslyneeded if we are to ever have a balanced budget again: an increase in taxes andthe next steps on health reform to address the biggest driver of our long termbudget deficit, health care costs.Slowing the rate at which health care costs are growing is a necessary, but nota sufficient condition to developing a long range balanced budget. You shouldask any politician saying they think a balanced budget is a priority onequestion: what is your health reform plan? Without one, they have no hope ofachieving their goal.   This book offers progressives solutions to health care reform and a balanced budget, and will be of interest to academics, students and educated readers interested in politics, public policy and government finance.

​​ ​ Progressives need a balanced federal budget morethan Conservatives, because they believe that government has an important role toplay in modern life. Lack of a long term plan to move toward a sustainablebudget crowds out short term Progressive priorities: infrastructure spending,green technology, education and needed governmental interventions in the shortterm to support and improve our weak economy. The federal budget is unsustainable. For all the bluster of the debt ceilingdebate, the plan passed so far does not address the changes most obviouslyneeded if we are to ever have a balanced budget again: an increase in taxes andthe next steps on health reform to address the biggest driver of our long termbudget deficit, health care costs.Slowing the rate at which health care costs are growing is a necessary, but nota sufficient condition to developing a long range balanced budget. You shouldask any politician saying they think a balanced budget is a priority onequestion: what is your health reform plan? Without one, they have no hope ofachieving their goal.   This book offers progressives solutions to health care reform and a balanced budget, and will be of interest to academics, students and educated readers interested in politics, public policy and government finance.

How do smokers evaluate evidence that smoking harms health? Some evidence suggests that smokers overestimate health risks from smoking. This book challenges this conclusion. The authors find that smokers tend to be overly optimistic about their longevity and future health if they quit later in life. Older adults' decisions to quit smoking require personal experience with the serious health impacts associated with smoking. Smokers over fifty revise their risk perceptions only after experiencing a major health shock--such as a heart attack. But less serious symptoms, such as shortness of breath, do not cause changes in perceptions. Waiting for such a jolt to occur is imprudent. The authors show that well-crafted messages about how smoking affects quality of life can greatly affect current perceptions of smoking risks. If smokers are informed of long-term consequences of a disease, and if they are told that quitting can indeed come too late, they are able to evaluate the risks of smoking more accurately, and act accordingly.

​​​Progressives need a balanced federal budget morethan Conservatives, because they believe that government has an important role toplay in modern life. Lack of a long term plan to move toward a sustainablebudget crowds out short term Progressive priorities: infrastructure spending,green technology, education and needed governmental interventions in the shortterm to support and improve our weak economy. The federal budget is unsustainable. For all the bluster of the debt ceilingdebate, the plan passed so far does not address the changes most obviouslyneeded if we are to ever have a balanced budget again: an increase in taxes andthe next steps on health reform to address the biggest driver of our long termbudget deficit, health care costs.Slowing the rate at which health care costs are growing is a necessary, but nota sufficient condition to developing a long range balanced budget. You shouldask any politician saying they think a balanced budget is a priority onequestion: what is your health reform plan? Without one, they have no hope ofachieving their goal.   This book offers progressives solutions to health care reform and a balanced budget, and will be of interest to academics, students and educated readers interested in politics, public policy and government finance.

​​ ​ Progressives need a balanced federal budget morethan Conservatives, because they believe that government has an important role toplay in modern life. Lack of a long term plan to move toward a sustainablebudget crowds out short term Progressive priorities: infrastructure spending,green technology, education and needed governmental interventions in the shortterm to support and improve our weak economy. The federal budget is unsustainable. For all the bluster of the debt ceilingdebate, the plan passed so far does not address the changes most obviouslyneeded if we are to ever have a balanced budget again: an increase in taxes andthe next steps on health reform to address the biggest driver of our long termbudget deficit, health care costs.Slowing the rate at which health care costs are growing is a necessary, but nota sufficient condition to developing a long range balanced budget. You shouldask any politician saying they think a balanced budget is a priority onequestion: what is your health reform plan? Without one, they have no hope ofachieving their goal.   This book offers progressives solutions to health care reform and a balanced budget, and will be of interest to academics, students and educated readers interested in politics, public policy and government finance.