Time is right for employer-sponsored stop-smoking plans

236 students: How would you calculate a cost-benefit ratio using this information? What else would you want to know to determine whether the benefits of a quit-smoking assistance program outweigh the costs?

Consider the state of Oklahoma, which early last year provided its employees with a new insurance benefit that offers smoking cessation assistance. Within the first six months, the program helped an estimated 570 state workers successfully quit smoking.

According to state health officials, this will result in $2.2 million in annual savings through reduced health care costs and increased employee productivity. The state plan, which costs approximately $148 per recipient, provides state workers with the option of receiving two full 90-day courses of any FDA-approved prescription tobacco cessation product each year and support through the state’s Tobacco Helpline.

via JournalStar.com - Lincoln, Nebraska - Opinion - Columns.