by Leslie Small
Recent research from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the percentage of
Americans trying to quit smoking has leveled off in recent years, with most
states experiencing no change in quit-attempt prevalence from 2011 to 2017.
The Affordable Care Act,
Medicare and Medicaid programs, and other federal regulations already require
health plans to cover a range of smoking-cessation treatments and support. But
some insurers are opting to offer more robust tobacco-cessation programs to members.
One example is Blue
Shield of California, which in June launched a new "digitally based
lifestyle medicine and health platform" called Wellvolution. Consumer
choice is a key component of Wellvolution, so members who indicate they're
interested in quitting smoking are given the option of three programs: one
that's more heavily focused on telephonic support, and two that are "more
app- and digital-coaching based," says Angie Kalousek, director of markets
and lifestyle medicine for Blue Shield of California.
"The one thing that
we don't really believe in and have not integrated [in the Wellvolution
platform] is financial incentives," she adds. That tactic, Kalousek says,
is a "false motivator that doesn't create sustained change."
Like Blue Shield of California,
Cigna Corp. offers members more than one option for tobacco cessation support.
"We focus on helping
customers improve their whole person health — both body and mind — through the
Lifestyle Management Program for Tobacco Cessation," Tracy Awe, Cigna's
product director for consumer health engagement, says via email.
"We also incorporate
tobacco cessation services into other health and well-being programs like our
chronic condition coaching program," she says.
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