Asthma among most costly diseases in Michigan

The Detroit Free Press published THIS story yesterday about how much the state spends on adult medical costs. Among the most costly diseases - asthma - costing $1797 per year per patient. While the state has cut down on the number of smokers, from 25.1% in 1999 to 20.5% in 2008, the amount they are paying per patient on diseases linked to smoking is much higher than in other states.