Use of a New Comprehensive Insurance Benefit for Smoking-Cessation Treatment

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Burns, Marguerite E. ; Rosenberg, Marjorie A. ; Fiore, Michael C.
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  Uncertainty about levels of employee use of an insurance benefit for smoking-cessation treatment has presented a barrier to employers considering the adoption of such coverage. This study examined self-reported awareness and use of a new insurance benefit for smoking-cessation treatment among a sample of Wisconsin state employees, retirees, and adult dependents.
  
  Methods
  
  We evaluated the self-reported use of insurance coverage for smoking-cessation treatment during the first 2 years of its availability to the Wisconsin state employee, retiree, and adult dependent population. We conducted analyses of responses to smoking-related questions in 2001 and 2002 cross-sectional surveys of insured state employees, retirees, and adult dependents, weighted to represent this population.
  
  Results
  
  In 2002, benefit use among smokers aware of the benefit was 39.6%, and benefit use among smokers unaware of the benefit was 3.5%. Only 27.4% of smokers were aware of the benefit in 2002; use among all smokers was 13.6%. Of all smokers, 30.4% used smoking-cessation treatment medication (over-the-counter or covered) in 2002. Smoking prevalence was 15.6% in 2001 and 13.2% in 2002.
  
  Conclusion
  
  In an educated employee population, self-reported smoking-cessation treatment benefit use was modest among all smokers during its first 2 years of availability. Benefit awareness was low in this educated population, which may help explain low use rates, particularly given the 30% of all smokers who attempted to quit smoking with the help of smoking-cessation treatment medication. These data provide use-rate estimates for states contemplating adoption of an evidence-based smoking-cessation treatment benefit.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Awareness Health Benefit Plans, Employee Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Humans Insurance, Health Insurance Benefits Nonprescription Drugs Prevalence Retirement Smoking Smoking Cessation State Government

  More +
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 2005; 2(4).
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Wisconsin
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  2
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:444249f01a7975f27c8af7fa52774f06d51389746c6c2871fbf9f8c29f60a8a5c0181fd8cadd054db1270f0e24d2482e70ec2eac0406349f831336636ca84b0a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/19967/cdc_19967_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 361.62 KB ]