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.
Center for Health and Public Policy Studies, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. helenhs@berkeley.edu
Helen Ann
HA
Halpin
Sara B
SB
McMenamin
Starley B
SB
Shade
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