Many states employers don't adequately cover smoking cessation treatment, USA

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 06 Sep 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Despite recommendations from federal public health experts that smoking cessation treatment should be provided to all smokers, state employers are failing to provide their employees with recommended smoking cessation treatment coverage.

According to a study of insurance coverage provided to the nation's 5 million state employees, only 29 of 45 states surveyed include any smoking cessation treatment in their insurance coverage for state employees.

And a mere 17 of the 45 states provide the complete range of smoking cessation coverage recommended by the U. S. Public Health Service.

"Our results echo those of previous studies in other populations," the study's authors wrote. "The purchase and provision of insurance coverage for smoking cessation treatment remain uneven. States have yet to use fully their health care purchasing power to realize that promise."

From: ""Insurance Coverage of Smoking Cessation Treatment for State Employees." Contact: Marguerite E. Burns, MA, Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, University of Wisconsin Medical School.

American Journal of Public Health

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association, the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of public health-related books and periodicals promoting high scientific standards, action programs and policy for good health. More information is available at http://www.apha.org.



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