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Help Employees Quit

Helping tobacco users quit not only saves lives – it also saved everyone money. These savings come from lower healthcare costs, increased workplace productivity and prevented premature deaths.

The real costs of smoking are staggering:

  • Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year.1
  • Smoking-related illness in the U.S. costs more than $300 billion a year, including over $225 billion in direct medical care for adults and $156 billion in lost productivity.2

The Affordable Care Act requires employers and health insurance plans to cover preventive services at no cost to insurance plan members. Tobacco cessation treatment is a preventive service required under this law for more health plans. The American Lung Association's tobacco cessation program, Freedom From Smoking®, can fulfill this requirement, and has over 41 years of experience helping hundreds of thousands of individuals become tobacco-free.

Contact the American Lung Association to discuss tobacco cessation program options with our proven Freedom From Smoking® program by calling 1-800-LUNGUSA or emailing us at [email protected].

Freedom From Smoking® Program Brochure

The American Lung Association’s highly effective tobacco cessation program addresses all forms of tobacco along with vaping and dual use. In addition, our programs also provide a completion certificate and utilization reporting. It’s important to note that our programs are recognized as a reasonable alternative standard under the Affordable Care Act.
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Freedom From Smoking® Program Price List

We are pleased to offer our reduced rates for our services. Our priority remains focused on assisting your employees or the agencies you represent with evidenced-based, quality and affordable options. We are able to launch the programs within two weeks once the program option(s) are determined. Many agencies have chosen to combine and choose to offer both programs as well, so the employees have a choice of what works best for them.
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Freedom From Smoking® Modalities

Freedom From Smoking®

The American Lung Association's highly effective smoking cessation program is used by employers, hospitals, health plans and other organizations to help the individuals they serve become tobacco-free for life.

There's a Freedom From Smoking® option for every person and every setting. No other cessation program offers the same range of options and solutions.

All Freedom From Smoking® options include FREE access to our online support community, FreedomFromSmoking.Inspire.com. Individuals can log on and discuss their challenges and success stories with others working to break their tobacco addiction.

No other program offers in-person, online, phone and self-help support resources that let you tailor a program to your organization's unique needs.

Freedom From Smoking® helps participants develop a plan of action leading to quit day and provides the support they need to remain tobacco-free.

Based on current addiction and behavior change models, the program addresses the difficulties of quitting in a sensitive, supportive style.

  • When combined with cessation medications, up to 57% of participants report quitting all tobacco products by the end of the program.
  • Ranked the most effective cessation program based on an evaluation of 100 managed care organizations conducted at Fordham University Graduate School of Business.
  • Helps employers and health insurance plans meet Affordable Care Act requirements for tobacco cessation treatment as a preventive service.
  • Conforms to the cessation counseling or advice core measure of the Joint Commission, the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.
  • Clinic program meets criteria for intensive tobacco cessation counseling covered by the latest Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services' decision memo.
  • Includes all components of an intensive intervention as outlined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Freedom From Smoking® Plus
$99.95 per person

Freedom From Smoking® Plus

Quit tobacco use with the click of a button through the Freedom From Smoking® Plus, the online 12-month membership program. A user-friendly interface helps you create a personal quit plan on your desktop, tablet or smartphone. Through interactive features that include videos, quizzes and activities, Freedom From Smoking® Plus (FFS Plus) walks you through the quitting process and offers a surround sound of support from quitters through our online community. 

Freedom From Smoking® Plus is the perfect fit for community members, patients, members, multi-unit housing residents, corporations, wellness programs, schools, colleges, and universities as it:


For a brief overview, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_S1jTL5A90&t=99s 

FFS Plus includes both an online cessation program consisting of 9 sessions to assist an individual in a step-by-step quitting process at their own pace. It takes participants approximately six weeks to complete the program, however, FFS Plus memberships are good for 1 year after initiation to provide patients with a full 12 months of ongoing support in preparing, quitting and maintaining a tobacco-free lifestyle. Unused memberships expire after two years from the purchase date.

Provides instant access to web-based and telephonic counseling through your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Works around any busy schedule.  Available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.  

FFS Plus allows users to participate in session activities at their own pace through their mobile device anytime, anywhere. It offers a private experience but with access to an online community of quitters also using the program.

If you plan to purchase memberships in bulk (10 or more) a dashboard can be established to assist your organization’s FFS Plus Administrator in distributing the memberships, tracking individuals progress, identifying those who are currently enrolled and/or those who have successfully completed the program.  This dashboard allows you to export reports at any time to share progress and outcome measures of the programs utilization and success in real time. There is no setup charge for the dashboard; it comes complimentary with the purchase of 10 or more memberships.  

FFS Plus is recognized as a reasonable alternative standard under the Affordable Care Act and provides a certificate of completion once the individuals finishes all required activities throughout the 9-session course. Freedom From Smoking® Plus does collect data via self-report at the end of the program to identify whether the participant was successful in quitting. This question is an optional question for participants to answer.

The cost to purchase an individual 12-month membership to FFS Plus through FreedomFromSmoking.org is $99.95.

The American Lung Association has a variety of marketing and promotional materials developed and ready for your organization to tailor to its needs for immediate program roll out. Your memberships can be disbursed through pre-made vouchers provided by the Lung Association.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), along with four (4) proactive calls may be added to a Freedom From Smoking® Plus membership for an additional $45 per person plus the price of the product and distribution services.  

QuitLine
$150 per person

One-on-One Counseling

Freedom From Smoking® Quitline is available through the Lung HelpLine. Proven tobacco cessation approach used seamlessly by employers of all sizes to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and manage employee healthcare costs. Based on addiction and behavior change models, the program addresses the difficulties of quitting in a sensitive, supportive style.

Meet with one of our partner liaisons to review:

  • How to refer employees 
  • Completing the benefit tracking sheet.
  • Completing the purchase order for the number of memberships desired.
    • Minimum purchase of 5; memberships expire two years from purchase.
  • Creating your personalized tobacco treatment enrollment form.
    • Participants work one-on-one with a certified tobacco treatment specialist, who is there every step of the way providing barrier-free access to educational resources, counseling and support.
    • Eight consecutive weekly calls with a counselor.
    • Educational resources/tools available via mail or email.  Services available in over 250 different languages.  
    • Completion certificate provided to participants
    • Bonus 7-month follow-up assessment call
    • Monthly reporting for agency lead
    • NRT (patches, gum, lozenges) available at a reduced fee (billable to the agency, not individuals)
  • Employer communicates program to eligible employees; submits forms of those interested to the American Lung Association Quitline.
  • Quitline calls employee within 24 hours based on referral form submitted.
  • Quitline counselor gathers initial demographic, health and tobacco history.
  • Quitline establishes call schedule with employee for designated number of weekly sessions.
  • Quitline sends Certificate of Completion to employee after the designated number counseling sessions are finished.  Quitline sends a participation report with all eligible established participants who have completed the employer designated sessions.
Group Programs
$400 Freedom From Smoking® Facilitator Training

Freedom From Smoking® Onsite or Virtual Group Programs

Freedom From Smoking® group programs offer personalized attention and peer support in a small in-person setting for up to 16 employees at a time. The clinic format encourages participants to work on the process and problems of quitting both individually and as part of a group.

  • Small in-person or virtual on-line group setting (up to 16 employees) offers personalized attention and peer support.
    • Eight session program over seven-weeks gives participants time to prepare to quit and practice being tobacco-free in a supportive environment 
    • Led by facilitators trained by the American Lung Association
    • Participant workbooks and relaxation exercises available in English or Spanish
    • Enables individuals to ask specific questions as they prepare to quit tobacco

The group program can be implemented by sending a representative from your workplace to be trained as a Freedom From Smoking® Facilitator to host onsite or virtually delivered group programs. Facilitator Training registration is $400 per person being certified. 

For more information view the Become a Facilitator page here.

Since it was first introduced more than 41 years ago, the American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking® program has helped over one million Americans end their addiction to nicotine and begin new tobacco-free lives. Freedom From Smoking® is based on proven addiction and behavior change models (including the Social Cognitive Theory, Transtheoretical Model and Motivational Interviewing). The program offers a structured, systematic approach to quitting, and its positive messaging emphasizes the benefits of better health.

Highlights of the Freedom From Smoking® curriculum include:

  • Thinking about, wanting to, preparing to quit
  • Nicotine replacement therapy
  • Tobacco cessation medications, such as Zyban® and Chantix®
  • Preparing for quit day
  • Coping strategies
  • Managing stress
  • Avoiding weight gain
  • Building a new self-image
  • Handling social situations
  • Preventing relapse
  • Avoiding secondhand smoke
On Your Own
$5.99 per person

Self Help Resource

The Freedom From Smoking®: The Guide to Help You Quit Smoking is an interactive manual that addresses the difficulties of quitting with real-life advice, helpful activities and innovative graphic approach.

  • At-home tobacco cessation manual can be used independently or can supplement any of the options
  • Winner – 2015 National Health Information Awards

To purchase your own copy of the Freedom From Smoking®: The Guide to Help You Quit Smoking, visit Lung.org/PrintStore and order the guide in Spanish here, or in English here. Contact the American Lung Association at 1-800-LUNGUSA or [email protected] to see how we can incorporate Freedom From Smoking® into your organization.

How to Provide a Comprehensive Tobacco Cessation Benefit

The American Lung Association urges all employers to make sure their health insurance includes a comprehensive tobacco cessation benefit for all employees. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employee-sponsored health insurance to cover tobacco cessation, but we recommend a model benefit that goes beyond the ACA requirement and gives tobacco users the best chance to become tobacco-free. A cessation benefit should:

  • Cover all treatments recommended in the U.S. Public Health Service Guideline, include all seven medications on plan formularies and preferred drug lists, and cover all three forms of counseling.
  • Cover each medication for its FDA-approved duration of use. Cover at least four counseling sessions per quit attempt, and at least two quit attempts per year—more is even better.
  • Eliminate or reduce co-pays and other cost-sharing on medications and counseling.
  • Do not require prior authorization of treatments, which slows down treatment and can decrease an individual’s motivation and momentum to quit.
  • Do not limit the number of times a person can try to quit in their lifetime. Quitting is a process that usually takes many attempts.
  • Do not require stepped-care therapy, which can force a patient to use a treatment they have already tried or that is not right.
  • Do not require patients to attend counseling to obtain medications. Counseling should be encouraged but requiring it may discourage some people from seeking any assistance with quitting.

Workplace Tobacco Cessation Interest Form

List each separated by comma (e.g. AK, HI, OH)

References

  1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2018 Feb 22]
  2. Xu X, Shrestha SS, Trivers KF, Neff L, Armour BS, King BA. U.S. Healthcare Spending Attributable to Cigarette Smoking in 2014. Preventive Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106529
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