Employers and Purchasers

New Report from Partnership for Prevention: Preventive Care: A National Profile on Use, Disparities and Health Benefits (August 2007)
The report demonstrates the underuse of effective preventive care in the United States and the importance to make these cost-effective services affordable and accessible for all Americans.

Tobacco-Free Coalition of Oregon’s “Make It Your Business” Employer’s Tool Kit / Oregon (2004)
Make It Your Business urges businesses and insurance companies to voluntarily cover and promote help for smokers who want to quit.

Build a Financial Infrastructure: Health Plan Benefits and Provider Reimbursement (April 2003)
Pacific Center on Health and Tobacco.

Health Insurance Benefits (April 2003)
At-a-glance summary from the Pacific Center on Health and Tobacco report, “Build a Financial Infrastructure”.

Invest in Tobacco Cessation for a Healthy Productive Workforce (2003)
Brief overview of the business case for providing tobacco cessation benefits to employees (Pacific Center on Health and Tobacco).

Employers’ Smoking Cessation Guide: Practical Approaches to a Costly Workplace Problem (2002)
This guide from PACT (Professional Assisted Cessation Therapy) makes the business case for employer involvement in smoking cessation.

Healthy Workforce 2010: An Essential Health Promotion Sourcebook for Employers, Large and Small (2001)
Strategies and rationale for investing in worksite health promotion from the Partnership for Prevention.

Preventive Services: Helping Employers Expand Coverage (2002)
Results from employer focus groups on clinical preventive service coverage (Partnership for Prevention).

Addressing Tobacco in Managed Care: A Resource Guide to Health Plans (January 2001)
This guide provides information, examples and other resources for health plans interested in developing, implementing and evaluating effective interventions aimed at reducing tobacco use.

CDC’s Coverage for Tobacco Use Cessation Treatment (2004)
A four-page guide on coverage for tobacco cessation treatment and options available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reducing the Burden of Smoking on Employee Health and Productivity (2003)
Issue brief summarizing meeting proceedings and key issues from the Smoking Cessation Solution Seminar sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Making your Workplace Smoke-Free: A Decision Maker’s Guide
This guide from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on how to design, implement, and evaluate environmental tobacco smokes (ETS) policies and related activities.

Helping your pregnant employees quit smoking
Available through the National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit.

Tobacco Cessation Toolkit for Employers / Colorado (2003)
Colorado Business Group on Health’s toolkit for employers.

Employers and Smoking Cessation
Perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge about smoking cessation benefits (April 2004) / California
Available through the California Tobacco Control Alliance.

Make it Your Business: A Tobacco-Free Workplace / North Dakota (Updated May 2007)
North Dakota Tobacco Prevention and Control Program’s toolkit for employers.

Trends in the Delivery and Reimbursement of Tobacco Dependence Treatment (September 2005)
Summary of the TCLN roundtable discussion on this topic

Websites:

Organized Labor & Tobacco Control Network (OLTCN)
OLTCN is funded by the American Legacy Foundation to promote collaboration between individuals and organizations that represent labor and tobacco control movements.

WorkSHIFTS
A program of the William and Mitchell Tobacco Law Center working with the labor community in Minnesota.

“Smoking Cessation Benefits Everyone” campaign / California
California Tobacco Control Alliance’s campaign to persuade health plans to implement their model smoking cessation benefit that provides coverage for behavioral therapy as well as medications.

“Make It Your Business” campaign / Oregon
Make It Your Business urges businesses and insurance companies to voluntarily cover and promote help for smokers who want to quit.

Business Case for Smoking Cessation Website & ROI (Return on Investment) Calculator
Available through the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

Publications:

Barendregt JJ, Bonneux L, van der Mass PJ. The health care costs of smoking. N Engl J Med 1997;337:1052-1057.

Furhmans, Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2005. 2004 Benefits Survey Report of the Society for Human Resource Management. www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=23516.

Halpern MT, Shikar R, Rentz AM, Kahn ZM. Impact of smoking status on workplace absenteeism and productivity. Tobacco Control 2001;10:233-238.

Halpin, H.A, McMenamin, SB, Shade, SB. The demand for health insurance coverage for tobacco dependence treatments: support for a benefit mandate and willingness to pay. Nicotine and Tobacco Research 2007; 9(12): 1269-1276.

Harris JR, Schauffler HH, Milstein A, Powers P, Hopkins DP. Expanding health insurance coverage for smoking cessation treatments: experience of the Pacific Business Group on Health. American Journal of Health Promotion 2001;15(5):350-6.

Schauffler HH. Defining benefits and payments for smoking cessation treatments. Tobacco Control 1997;6: Suppl:S81-85.

Warner KE, Smith RJ, Smith DG, Fries BE. Health and economic implications of a work-site smoking cessation program: A simulation analysis. JOEM 1996; 38(10):981-992.