title: Population impact of reimbursement for smoking cessation: a natural experiment in The Netherlands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on the impact of financial reimbursement of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation in combination with behavioural support on the number of enrollees to proactive counselling in the Dutch national quitline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive time-series analysis was used to compare quitline enrolment in 2010 and 2012 (no reimbursement) with 2011 (reimbursement).
  
  
  METHODS
  National smoking cessation quitline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Smokers signing up for proactive counselling.
  
  
  METHODS
  Treatment enrolment data recorded by the quitline as part of usual care from 2010, 2011 and 2012 (until May).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2010, a total of 848 smokers started treatment. In 2011, 9091 smokers enrolled. In 2012, the number of enrollees dropped dramatically, even below the 2010 level. In addition, the proportion of smokers in the population dropped from 27.2% in 2010 to 24.7% in 2011.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The introduction of a national reimbursement system in the Netherlands was associated with a more than 10-fold increase in telephone counselling for smoking cessation and suggests that reimbursement for smoking cessation contributed to improvements in public health.
authors.affiliation: STIVORO, Dutch Expert Centre on Tobacco Control, The Hague, The Netherlands. mc.willemsen@stivoro.nl
authors.forename: Marc C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Willemsen
authors.forename: Dewi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Segaar
authors.forename: Onno C P
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: van Schayck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003376:Counseling / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015277:Hotlines / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D009426:Netherlands; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D061485:Tobacco Use Cessation Devices / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data