New Report Reveals Most Quit-Friendly States for Smokers
(December 7, 2011)—
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Bev Stewart
(503) 718-6146
bstewart@lungmtpacific.org
New Report Reveals Most Quit-Friendly States for Smokers
Portland, OR—Oregon ranks sixth in the country for the help it offers citizens to quit smoking, according to the American Lung Association’s “Helping Smokers Quit: Tobacco Cessation Coverage 2011” report. Oregon encourages other states to follow its example.
“The American Lung Association congratulates all the leading states for the significant progress in ensuring that smokers can easily get help to quit,” said Renée Klein, President and CEO of the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific. “We are proud to have one of the leading states, Oregon, in our region.”
Oregon is tied with North Carolina and Arkansas as the sixth most quit-friendly state in the country, because of its comprehensive approach to helping smokers quit. In 2009, the state Legislature passed a law requiring health insurance plans in Oregon to fully cover tobacco cessation treatments. Every health plan providing coverage to Medicaid enrollees covers tobacco cessation treatments, as does the health plan offered to Oregon state employees. The Oregon Tobacco Quit Line is funded at a rate of $5.49 per smoker for fiscal year 2012, which is below the national standard of $10.53 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends to reach an adequate number of smokers in every state.
“It’s urgent that policymakers in the other states and the District of Columbia step up and provide access to quit smoking treatments and services that will save lives and money. The five most quit-friendly states, although they still have room for improvement, provide evidence that a comprehensive approach to smoking cessation is attainable,” continued Klein.
The top five ranking states identified in the Lung Association’s report for their comprehensive, or near comprehensive, programs to help smokers quit are Maine, North Dakota, Delaware, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
The Lung Association report also ranks the five least quit-friendly states in the nation, where policymakers are tragically missing a chance to improve citizens’ health and lives. They are Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Maryland and New Jersey.
Currently, an uneven patchwork of quit-smoking treatments and services is available around the country. The U.S. cannot afford the economic and health consequences of failing to make it a priority to help smokers quit.
Despite greater public understanding about the health risks of smoking, 443,000 people die each year from tobacco-related illnesses and secondhand smoke exposure. Quitting smoking is difficult, and most smokers need help to quit for good.
There are several ways that states can help smokers quit, and these programs and policies factor into the state ratings.
They include the extent of quit-smoking treatments provided for state workers and their families; the level of coverage for low-income people who are enrolled in Medicaid; whether a state requires private insurance companies to cover cessation treatments; and the adequacy of state funding for stop-smoking quit lines, which is critical to helping smokers end their deadly addiction.
The Lung Association urges every state to provide all Medicaid recipients and state employees with comprehensive, easily accessible tobacco cessation medications and counseling. A comprehensive cessation benefit includes all seven medications and three types of counseling recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service for helping smokers quit.
The “Helping Smokers Quit: Tobacco Cessation Coverage 2011” report is available at www.Lung.org.
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About the American Lung Association in Oregon
The American Lung Association in Oregon is a non-profit, voluntary public health organization, working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease in Oregon. Our programs focus on the areas of asthma, clean air, tobacco prevention and lung disease.
For more information about the American Lung Association in Oregon or to support the work it does, call (503) 924-4094 or visit: www.lungoregon.org.
About the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line
The Oregon Tobacco Quit Line is a free program offered over the phone and on the Web that helps Oregonians quit tobacco by offering confidential, evidence-based coaching. Contact the Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669); 1-877-2NO-FUME (877-266-3863, Spanish version); or www.quitnow.net/oregon/. Callers may also be eligible for free nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gum.
