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Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation attendees will be able to:
- Recognize the importance of working with Taft-Hartley Health and Welfare Funds and fund advisor to improve blue-collar workers' access to comprehensive tobacco cessation benefits and to promote those benefits, and identify opportunities to conduct educational outreach and partnership with unions, employers, and Taft-Hartley Health and Welfare Funds.
cessation treatment; labor/management, workplace, workers' health; disparities
Key Points:
Taft-Hartley Health and Welfare Funds administer health insurance plans that provide coverage for several million U.S. adults. Unionized workers covered by the funds are primarily in blue-collar occupations and smoke at a rate almost twice that of workers in other occupational categories. Most Taft-Hartley Health and Welfare Funds do not provide comprehensive coverage for tobacco cessation treatment. This presentation summarizes a study that tested an intervention to increase the provision and promotion of cessation benefits among Minnesota-based funds. Tailored educational outreach was conducted to advisors (administrators, consultants, attorneys) of 10 funds (2009-2011). Pre- and post-intervention interviews with advisors examined changes in perceptions about covering and promoting cessation benefits. Pre- and post-intervention data on benefit provision were collected from Summary Plan Documents (SPDs) of Minnesota funds and corresponding funds in Massachusetts and Washington, and compared (2009-2011). SPDs were scored on benefit adequacy, using a 4-point score derived from CDC evidence-based recommendations.
Educational Experience:
Audience members will learn about outreach efforts dating back to 2006, including outcomes of two community-academic research studies, partnering with academic researchers (Public Health Law Center & the University of Minnesota School of Public Health) and labor union leaders (Unite Here, UFCW and Minnesota Laborers).
Benefits:
Audience members will learn about the gaps between existing benefit coverage and "best practices" and how we have conducted educational outreach to the targeted audiences, and identify opportunities to undertake similar efforts in other regions.