Expanding health insurance coverage for smoking cessation treatments: experience of the Pacific Business Group on Health.

Abstract

The business case for health insurance coverage of smoking cessation treatments by employers is a strong one. Smoking is one of the nation's costliest health problems, in both human and financial terms. The science behind smoking cessation treatment and promotion of treatment is strong; the cost effectiveness of smoking cessation treatment is among the highest in all of medicine, the time required before a positive return on investment is reasonable for employers, and the short-term costs of treatments are well estimated and manageable for health plans and employers. Armed with this business case, the PBGH Negotiating Alliance has expanded health insurance to include pharmacotherapy, over the counter or by prescription, and behavioral interventions. Because PBGH has been a national leader, we hope that other employers, employer coalitions, and public purchasers will follow their lead. The potential health effect of even small reductions in smoking are striking, and unlike other chronic illnesses, nicotine addiction is curable, at both individual and societal levels. Thus, if employers make the investment in smoking cessation and other tobacco control today, they face the real possibility that the need for such outlays could decrease in the future.