Benefits/Health Coverage
Businesses that have included a tobacco cessation benefit report an
increase in the number of smokers willing to quit. Coverage of a
cessation benefit has also increased the percentage of smokers that
successfully quit.
How Should Benefits Be Designed?
Both the Public Health Service-sponsored Clinical Practice Guidelines,
Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, and the Community Preventive
Services Task Force recommend that all insurers provide tobacco
cessation benefits that do the following:
- Pay for counseling and medications, together or separately.
- Cover at least four counseling sessions of at least 30 minutes each,
including pro-active telephone counseling and individual counseling.
While classes are also effective, few smokers attend them.
- Cover both prescription and over-the-counter nicotine replacement
medications (patch, gum, lozenge, inhaler, nasal spray), buproprion
and varenicline.
- Provide counseling and medication coverage for at least two smoking
cessation attempts per year.
- Eliminate or minimize co-pays or deductibles for counseling and
medications, as even small co-payments reduce the use of proven
treatments.
NEW from the Surgeon
General: Smoking Cessation - The Role of Payers
Questions to
Ask Insurance Plans (PDF, 129 KB)
QuitlineNC Partnership
Plan (PDF, 247 KB)
NC State Health Plan
Success Story (PDF, 532 KB)