Harris J R, Schauffler H H, Milstein A, Powers P, Hopkins D P
Division of Prevention Research and Analytic Methods, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA.
Am J Health Promot. 2001 May-Jun;15(5):350-6. doi: 10.4278/0890-1171-15.5.350.
The business case for health insurance coverage of smoking cessation treatments by employers is a strong one. Smoking is one of the nation's costliest health problems, in both human and financial terms. The science behind smoking cessation treatment and promotion of treatment is strong; the cost effectiveness of smoking cessation treatment is among the highest in all of medicine, the time required before a positive return on investment is reasonable for employers, and the short-term costs of treatments are well estimated and manageable for health plans and employers. Armed with this business case, the PBGH Negotiating Alliance has expanded health insurance to include pharmacotherapy, over the counter or by prescription, and behavioral interventions. Because PBGH has been a national leader, we hope that other employers, employer coalitions, and public purchasers will follow their lead. The potential health effect of even small reductions in smoking are striking, and unlike other chronic illnesses, nicotine addiction is curable, at both individual and societal levels. Thus, if employers make the investment in smoking cessation and other tobacco control today, they face the real possibility that the need for such outlays could decrease in the future.
雇主为戒烟治疗提供医疗保险的商业理由十分充分。从人力和经济角度来看，吸烟都是美国最耗费成本的健康问题之一。戒烟治疗及推广治疗背后的科学依据确凿；戒烟治疗的成本效益在所有医学领域中名列前茅，雇主获得投资正回报所需的时间合理，而且健康计划和雇主能够很好地估算并管理治疗的短期成本。基于这一商业理由，PBGH谈判联盟已将医疗保险范围扩大至包括非处方或处方药物疗法以及行为干预措施。由于PBGH一直是全国的引领者，我们希望其他雇主、雇主联盟及公共采购方也能效仿。即使吸烟率稍有下降，其对健康产生的潜在影响也十分显著，而且与其他慢性疾病不同，尼古丁成瘾在个人和社会层面都是可以治愈的。因此，如果雇主如今对戒烟及其他烟草控制进行投资，他们面临着未来此类支出需求可能减少的切实可能性。
