Federal Cessation Coverage

Providing Federal Coverage for Cessation Services

The American Lung Association advocates for policies, laws and funding that ensure all tobacco users in the U.S. have access to evidence-based treatments that are proven to help them quit. One of the most important and major federal initiatives increasing tobacco cessation coverage is the Affordable Care Act (ACA). More about the tobacco-related provisions in the Affordable Care Act can be found here.

All health insurance programs funded and run by the federal government should cover a comprehensive tobacco cessation benefit. Such federal programs include:

• Medicare
• Medicaid
• State Health Insurance Marketplace Plans
• TRICARE
• Federal Employees Health Benefits Program

The American Lung Association also supports funding for tobacco cessation and prevention work through the Prevention and Public Health Fund and other means. One crucial federally-funded cessation program is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tips from Former Smokers mass media campaign, which has led millions of Americans to resources for quitting smoking.

Finally, the American Lung Association supports adequate levels of funding for the federal agencies that work in tobacco control and prevention, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and agencies that fund research on tobacco cessation, including the National Institutes of Health.