Overview

• KKH analysis of 1.66 million insured finds heavy smokers now account for 7.1 % of members—up from 4.8 % in 2013—driving a 47.5 % rise in tobacco dependency cases and about six million treatments in 2023.
• Almost a quarter (22.8 %) of heavy smokers were diagnosed with COPD in 2023, compared with 19.5 % a decade earlier, underscoring smoking as the main risk factor.
• State-level data show Thuringia’s tobacco dependency cases nearly doubled since 2013 while Saarland reports the highest COPD rate among heavy smokers at 26.1 %.
• KKH expert Michael Falkenstein warns that only full cessation can stop COPD’s advance and that the true scale is likely larger due to undiagnosed cases.
• The insurer cautions that e-cigarettes and waterpipes carry similar lung risks and notes that quitting at any age delivers measurable respiratory and cardiovascular benefits within years.