Expanding Health Insurance Coverage for Cessation and Increasing Utilization

Audience: Conference participants who would find value in this session include tobacco control advocates interested in expanded coverage for cessation treatment and increased utilization of treatments. In states, these professionals might advocate for policies in health systems, workplaces, or health plans that will advance access to and uptake of tobacco services. This could include conference participants working with state legislatures or state agencies to increase funding for cessation.

Key Points:

Policy barriers often stand in the way of tobacco users accessing cessation assistance.

The federal government and many states have taken positive steps to increase coverage and utilization of tobacco cessation services.

It is imperative that all states guarantee that tobacco users have access to comprehensive,    evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment.

Educational Experience:

This session will examine pioneering activities in several states to increase coverage and utilization of tobacco dependence treatment.  Presentations will include efforts to expand Medicaid coverage and collaborative activities with private insurers. A review of the national landscape will be offered including health reform, meaningful use, payment reform, marketing and promotion, and the model tobacco cessation benefit for federal employees. 

Benefits:

There is broad agreement that all tobacco users should have access to comprehensive, evidenced-based, tobacco cessation treatment. Unfortunately, public and private insurance coverage is currently an incomplete patchwork. And, where coverage exists, some states have not adequately promoted their covered services to tobacco users to maximize utilization. Participants in this session will benefit from this current assessment of cessation coverage/utilization, the change process in states, organizational collaboration, and advocacy.