Addressing Tobacco in Managed Care: Results of the 2003 Survey
Author Information
Author(s): McPhillips-Tangum Carol MPH, Rehm Bob MBA, Carreon Rita, Erceg Caroline M MJ, Bocchino Carmella MBA, RN
Primary Institution: America’s Health Insurance Plans
Conclusion
Health plans have shown significant improvements in tobacco control practices, but there are still opportunities for further enhancement.
Supporting Evidence
- Health plans providing full coverage for pharmacotherapy for tobacco cessation increased from 25% to 88% from 1997 to 2003.
- Plans able to identify individual smokers increased from 15% in 1997 to 91% in 2003.
- 91% of plans reported having a strategy for addressing smoking cessation during disease-management programs.
Takeaway
This study looked at how health insurance plans help people quit smoking. It found that many plans are doing better at this, but there's still more work to do.
Methodology
A survey of tobacco control practices and policies in health insurance plans was conducted, with a sample of 215 plans, of which 160 completed the survey.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to nonrespondents possibly differing in unmeasured ways.
Limitations
The response rate of approximately 74% may introduce selection bias, and the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were not tested.
Participant Demographics
The plans represented more than 60 million members, predominantly network and mixed models, with a majority being for-profit.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
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