Open AccessInsurance Coverage of Smoking Cessation Treatment for State Employees
Author(s) -
Marguerite Burns,
Timothy W. Bosworth,
Michael C. Fiore
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.94.8.1338
Subject(s) - smoking cessation , public health , health insurance , environmental health , medicine , family medicine , health care , nursing , political science , pathology , law
Public health experts recommend that health insurance include coverage for smoking cessation treatment as an evidence-based strategy to reduce smoking. As employers, states can implement this policy for more than 5 million individuals nationwide. This study identified the extent to which states require smoking cessation treatment insurance coverage for their employees; of 45 states, 29 required coverage for at least 1 US Public Health Service (PHS)-recommended treatment, and only 17 of 45 provided coverage that was fully consistent with PHS recommendations.