The demand for health insurance coverage for tobacco dependence treatments: support for a benefit mandate and willingness to pay.
One solution for reducing tobacco use is to expand health insurance coverage for tobacco dependence treatments (TDTs), but the public demand for a coverage mandate is unknown. This study finds that demand for coverage of TDTs among a random sample of adult Californians with employer-sponsored health insurance is strong, with 62% indicating that health insurers should be required to offer coverage as part of their standard plans and a majority (56%) indicating a willingness to pay $3 more for their annual health insurance premium to finance cessation coverage. Compared to never smokers, current and former smokers are no more likely to support a benefit mandate to require coverage of cessation treatments, but the adjusted odds are approximately three times greater that current and former smokers are willing to pay $3 more toward their annual premium to finance cessation coverage. Liberals had higher adjusted odds of supporting a benefit mandate and of being willing to pay a higher premium compared to conservatives. Non-whites had higher adjusted odds of supporting a mandate compared to whites, with no differences by race/ethnicity in willingness to pay a higher premium. There were no differences in preferences for a benefit mandate or willingness to pay a higher premium as a function of age, gender or income. These findings have important policy implications for a state health insurance mandate to cover tobacco dependence treatments.
Halpin
Helen Ann
HA
Center for Health and Public Policy Studies, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. helenhs@berkeley.edu
McMenamin
Sara B
SB
Shade
Starley B
SB
D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal / Q000191:economics*; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics*; D006291:Health Policy; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States