Your Employees Want to Quit

Help Them While Improving Productivity & Reducing Health Care Spending

A Comprehensive Tobacco Cessation Benefits Overview from the Minnesota Cancer Alliance

Employers in Minnesota look for ways to lower health care spending, boost productivity, decrease absenteeism and create positive and healthy workplace cultures for their employees. Adopting the Minnesota Cancer Alliance’s recommendations for a comprehensive tobacco cessation benefit will do just that. The recommendations use evidence-based guidelines and reflect the direction of national organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Business Group on Health.

More than half (57%) of Minnesotans who smoke try to quit each year. Using some form of tobacco cessation treatment doubles the quitting success. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, HealthPartners, Medica, and Preferred One endorse these tobacco benefit recommendations. All health plans in Minnesota offer comprehensive tobacco cessation benefits to their fully insured groups and can design tobacco cessation benefits to meet each self-insured employer’s unique requirements.

Tobacco cessation benefits are most powerful when individuals are supported with a variety of cessation techniques (e.g., counseling and medication) in combination with a workplace culture that supports quitting.

Did You Know?

• 17% of Minnesota adults smoke compared to a national average of 21%. But some groups like bluecollar workers have much higher smoking rates. ^{1, 2}
• On average, smokers miss 6.16 days of work per year due to sickness, compared to nonsmokers, who miss 3.86 days. ³
• In 2002, smoking-related medical expenses cost Minnesota $1.9 billion, approximately $2,105 per current smoker. ⁴

How to Create a Comprehensive Tobacco Cessation Strategy

Tobacco Cessation Benefit + Environment

Counseling

• Cover at least 4 counseling sessions, including telephone or in-person sessions (individual or group).
• Eliminate or reduce co-pays or deductibles.

Medications

• Cover all FDAapproved cessation medications – both prescription and over-the-counter.
• Eliminate or reduce co-pays or deductibles.

Policy

• Establish a tobacco-free workplace or campus.

More Information

For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact Darla Havlicek, at (651) 662-7770 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . To learn more about the specific tobacco cessation benefits available to your organization, contact your health plan representative. The Minnesota Cancer Alliance is a statewide coalition of health care organizations, cancer centers, community groups and volunteers dedicated to reducing Minnesota’s cancer burden by implementing the state’s first cancer plan, Cancer Plan Minnesota 2005-2010. For more information, visit www.mncanceralliance.org.

Sources

^1. ClearWay MinnesotaSM, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Health and Westat. Creating a Healthier Minnesota: Progress in Reducing Tobacco Use, 2008.
^2. Lee D, Fleming L, et al., Smoking Rate Trends in U.S. Occupational Groups: The 1987-2004 National Health Interview Survey.
^3. Halpern M, Shikiar R, Rentz A, Khan Z. Impact of smoking status on workplace absenteeism and productivity. Tob Control. 2001;10(3):233-238.
^4. CDC MMWR 2005;54:625-8 or BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota Report. Health Care Costs and Smoking: The Bottom Line, March 2005, available online at:
http://www.preventionminnesota.com/objects/pdfs/C%20tobacco%20economics.pdf.

General References

Fitch K et al. Milliman report-Covering smoking cessation as a health benefit: a case for employers. 2006. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Coverage for Tobacco Use Cessation Treatments Benefits Summary, Feb 2007, available at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/cessation/coverage/page1.htm.

National Business Group on Health. Tobacco: The Business of Quitting: An Employer’s Website for Tobacco Cessation available at http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/tobacco/return/index.cfm#overview.