Hats off to Oregon’s new tobacco cessation law
In my June 28 rant about President Barack Obama’s addiction to nicotine, I wish I had mentioned an excellent bill that was passed by the 2009 Oregon Legislature and signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Senate Bill 734 requires insurers in Oregon to include reimbursement of at least $500 for enrolled members who enter physician-recommended tobacco cessation programs that follow U.S. Public Health Service guidelines. A lot of private insurance companies offer some support for people who want to quit smoking, but most do not include it as one of their core benefits as the new Oregon law requires, and some provide no support whatsoever.
The Oregon bill’s chief sponsor, Sen. Bill Morrisette, D-Springfield, says smoking costs the nation $75 billion a year in direct medical expenses. Paying for smoking cessation programs costs insurance companies only 10 cents per member per month and is the single most cost-effective benefit they can offer, he argues.
His bill didn’t cover all Oregonians, of course, but at least it’s a start. Kudos to Morrisette for introducing the legislation and several other health-related bills in his role as chairman of the Senate Human Services Committee and member of the Senate Health Policy Committee.
“Senate Bill 734 requires insurers in Oregon to include reimbursement of at least $500 for enrolled members who enter physician-recommended tobacco cessation programs …”
You can’t be complaining about the cost of health insurance with one breath and then mandating more things be covered in the next.
It’s just like you guys saying that we can’t afford to keep our felons locked up, and then expanding criminal statutes to make more things felonies.
One has to make trade offs in life. Does the Legislature operate with even half a brain?
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