The tobacco industry owes millions in healthcare - at least thats what Missouri hospitals say. According to the hospitals, the tobacco industry has cost them millions of dollars in healthcare for patients being treated for smoking-related illnesses who cant pay their medical expenses. More than 40 area hospitals, along with the city of St. Louis, sued Altria Group Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and other cigarette makers back in 1998, claiming that the tobacco giants manipulated the nicotine content in cigarettes and did not properly inform consumers of the risks associated with smoking. Kenneth Brostron, a lawyer for the hospitals, said the tobacco companies should take responsibility for their actions. But the tobacco companies deny any responsibility for patient care costs and any financial losses to the hospitals. The lawsuit went to trial in January and is the third such claim to reach trial. The first, in Ohio in 1999, was won by the tobacco industry. The second trial resulted in the awarding of $17.8 million to a health insurer in New York in 2001. The decision was reversed on appeal in 2004. Thirty-seven of the more than 40 hospitals in Missouri remain in the lawsuit. They are seeking approximately $455 million from the tobacco industry.
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