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Why is Insurance Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Important?

Despite increased public awareness of risk factors associated with tobacco abuse, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and worldwide. According to the CDC, more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 7 million deaths per year. If the pattern of smoking all over the globe doesn’t change, more than 8 million people a year will die from diseases related to tobacco use by 2030. According to the 2016 Surgeon General Report “As cigarette smoking among those under 18 has fallen, the use of other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, has taken a drastic leap. All of this is creating a new generation of Americans who are at risk of nicotine addiction.”

 

With increased marking tactics targeting teenagers and young adults the risks of our youth developing nicotine addictions is only increased. Almost 90 percent of adult smokers became addicted to tobacco products at or before age 20. The 2017 NC Youth Tobacco Survey found that while cigarette smoking continues to decrease among middle and high school students in North Carolina, e-cigarette use is increasing to epidemic proportions, which is increasing the overall tobacco use rate among teens. Evidence shows that tobacco cessation benefits help people quit smoking and that quit rates are higher when health insurance covers this benefit. People are more able to utilize tobacco cessation services when they do not have to pay for expensive treatment out of pocket.

 

Status of Insurance Coverage and Coverage Gaps

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other federal laws and rules require most health insurance plans in the U.S. to cover some level of tobacco cessation treatments. The following chart gives details of these requirements. Note that information on this chart does not guarantee coverage for certain treatments in any insurance plan – policymakers and regulators must enforce these requirements and insurance plans and employers must implement them. Patients should check with their plan to confirm which treatments are covered.