Nearly three-quarters of all health insurance plans included in a new survey rely on evidence-based clinical guidelines to address tobacco use, and almost all plans, 98 percent, provide full coverage for at least one type of smoking cessation intervention.
Those are among the results of a new study released today by America's Health Insurance Plans, and published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.
"These results show that health insurance plans have clearly expanded their leadership role in fighting the adverse health effects of tobacco use," said Karen Ignagni, AHIP president and CEO.
The study shows significant increases between 1997 and 2002 in the percentage of plans with strategies to address relapse after childbirth, as well as smoking cessation during treatment for chronic illness and following a heart attack. Approximately 47 percent of plans in the latest survey reported having a specific strategy to address smoking cessation during postpartum visits and following a heart attack, and 52 percent of plans reported having a specific strategy to address smoking cessation during treatment for chronic illness, more than double the rates from five years earlier.
According to Ignagni, the health consequences of smoking have made prevention and treatment of tobacco use a priority among health insurance plans.
"As medical professionals learn more about what works to help people quit smoking, health plans are increasingly incorporating this knowledge into their coverage decisions," Ignagni said.
Key findings of the study: