Would you quit smoking if your doctor offered you a $20 Target gift card?

Would you quit smoking if your doctor offered you a $20 Target gift card?

Some Minnesota lawmakers believe it’ll work like a charm. They must not be smokers.

According to an Associated Press report, Minnesota state senators have proposed a plan that would offer patients gift cards for Target (and possibly other stores) as an incentive to follow doctors’ orders regarding two types of prescribed medication: 1) products that help cigarette smokers quit smoking, and 2) products that treat type 2 diabetes.

Lawmakers believe their $1 million program (which will only be available to patients covered by state-subsidized insurance programs) will have “a lot of impact.”

But here’s the catch: There’s no catch! As the proposal now stands, the use of gift cards will NOT be restricted to pharmaceuticals.

So – will Minnesota lawmakers figure out that patients are just as likely to use gift cards to purchase “Pirates of the Caribbean” DVDs as they are to buy drugs? If they do, and if gift card use IS restricted to drug purchases, then the state will be using tax revenues to encourage the use of drugs over inexpensive, non-drug therapies. If they don’t, then taxpayers will be footing the bill for whatever! Drugs, DVDs, socks, potato chips, nail polish, greeting cards.

Either way, this is a plan that will warm the hearts of Target execs. And can you guess where Target’s corporate headquarters are located? Oh come on! You’ve got to love it! Minneapolis, MN.