Tobacco Cessation - Reimbursement Program
FDA Unveils Grim Cigarette Warning Labels
Cigarette packages will soon include graphic images of the effects of smoking
By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
June 21, 2011
Graphic images such as lifeless bodies, surgical scars, and diseased lungs are among nine new warning labels unveiled by the FDA that the agency says must appear on all cigarette packaging and advertisements by September 2012.
The FDA says in a statement on its web site that the warnings, a new effort to get people to quit smoking, represent the most significant changes to cigarette labels in more than 25 years and will affect everything from packaging to advertisements.
The agency says all Americans understand the dangers of smoking and the new labels are intended to prevent children from starting and induce smokers to quit.
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Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature and preventable death in the U.S. and is responsible for 443,000 deaths annually, the FDA says. And smoking costs the U.S. economy $200 billion in medical costs and lost productivity annually, according to the FDA.
Each warning will be accompanied by a smoking-cessation hotline, 800-QUIT-NOW, which may increase the likelihood that smokers who want to give up the habit will be successful.
FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, says in the news release that the agency is required to provide current and potential smokers with "clear and truthful information" about smoking risks and adds that the new "warnings do that."
full article: WebMD Health News
Graphic cigarette labels.
Is the FDA blowing smoke?
June 27, 2011
Writing in the Chicago Tribune, columnist Steve Chapman harshly criticizes the FDA’s latest mandate requiring cigarette packs to prominently display graphic warning labels. In addition to demonstrating large government overreach, Chapman says, the new ruling will hardly deter adults or teens from smoking. In fact, drawing on information brought to his attention by ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross, Chapman questions the scientific validity of recent FDA predictions that an estimated 213,000 fewer Americans will smoke in 2013, thanks to the new warning labels.
Not so fast with those numbers, says Dr. Ross. “The FDA commissioned a proprietary survey in 2010 which concluded that the lurid labels would likely have no effect upon the initiation of smoking, even among young people.” He adds, “ In their current rule, the FDA ignored those data. This is understandable, given their mandate to implement graphic warnings as dictated by the 2009 FDA tobacco regulation law.”
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Yet ACSH’s Cheryl Martin thinks graphic warnings should be considered just another tool to educate consumers about the dangers of smoking. “A young or uneducated smoker may not know what emphysema is, but graphic images could help them understand the possible effects of their smoking habits,” she muses. “Just like the 'Truth’ anti-smoking commercials, the labels may be memorable enough that people can make their own informed decision — and, hopefully, the choice to abstain from smoking.
However, ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan believes that these largely ineffective policies are diverting important resources from alternative and more reliable anti-smoking strategies. “If the FDA weren’t so busy with measures that aren’t likely to work," she observes, "maybe they’d come up with some ideas to actually reduce the deadly toll of smoking.”
full article: American Council on Science and Health
Kick the Nic – a Tobacco Cessation Program
You can quit. We can help.
On May 1, 2010, Michigan enacted historic legislation to create smoke-free environments and endorse health and wellness for residents. To promote health and wellness on campus and in our community, WMU is launching Kick the Nic – a program administered by Sindecuse Health Center that gives students, faculty, staff, and dependents a variety of resources to choose from to successfully stop using tobacco.
Here are two sections to help you get started:
1. Choose a Program to Stop Using Tobacco
Read on to discover some available options.
2. Additional Program Information
Learn about nicotine replacement products, reimbursement, or visit external links.
1. Choose a Program to Stop Using Tobacco
Methods available to encourage tobacco users to quit include phone or appointment consultations with tobacco cessation specialists, clinician appointments for prescription products, and other on-line programming. The goal is to have people quit using tobacco by providing convenient, supportive programming optimal for their lifestyle.
Sindecuse Tobacco Cessation Specialist
Blue Cross Blue Shield – Quit the Nic
Sindecuse Tobacco Cessation Specialist
Convenient phone consultation or consultative appointments are available. Call 269-387-3290 to schedule your phone consultation or appointment. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have about our program.
There are no out-of-pocket expenses for phone consultations or visits with the Sindecuse Tobacco Cessation Specialist if you are a faculty, staff, dependent, or WMU retiree with BCBS insurance group #31473. For students and WMU employees covered under other insurance plans, Sindecuse staff will assist you by submitting charges to your insurance company for tobacco cessation services.
Clinician Visits
Sindecuse Health Center clinicians encourage you to choose programs available at Kick the Nic for tobacco cessation in addition to receiving prescription items. If you are participating in a tobacco cessation program and would like to talk to a clinician about receiving a prescription to stop smoking, just call (269) 387-3290 to schedule an appointment.
Nicotine Replacement Products are available without a prescription in our pharmacy and do not require a clinician visit. Scheduling an appointment to receive a prescription does not automatically enroll you in Kick the Nic. There are just a few easy steps to enroll– click here to get started.
Blue Cross Blue Shield – Quit the Nic
Quit the Nic is a telephone-based program designed to help eligible members in their efforts to quit all forms of tobacco use. Visit the Blue Cross Blue Shield website here.
Aetna Quitting Smoking, for Aetna Student Health Customers
Aetna offers helpful strategies for quitting smoking and staying smoke-free. A broad range of useful information is available to help you prepare; to learn more, visit the Aetna website.
Other Online programs
You may also consider participating in an online program to help you achieve your goal. Here are some websites you might be interested in as a starting point:
2. Additional Program Information
e.g. nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges, nicotine gum.
WMU will reimburse qualifying individuals on the cost of tobacco cessation products. Read on to see if you are eligible.
Nicotine Replacement Products
Sindecuse Pharmacy has licensed pharmacists who are available to address questions regarding nicotine replacement and prescription products to help you stop using tobacco. Prescription products are available with a clinician order. Please call 269-387-3355 to talk with our pharmacy staff.
Sindecuse Pharmacy will ship products to students, faculty, staff, dependents, and retirees residing in satellite campus locations.
The following non-prescription items may be purchased through our pharmacy:
| Product | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nicotine patches (7 mg, 14 mg, 21 mg) | 14 | $25 |
| Nicotine Lozenges (4 mg) | 48 | $26 |
| Nicotine Gum (4 mg) | 110 | $30 |
Reimbursement
If you are a faculty, staff, dependent, or WMU retiree with BCBS insurance, group #31473, you’ll want to take advantage of WMU’s offer to reimburse you on the cost of tobacco cessation products.
Here's how it works: after being tobacco free for three months, you will receive a check from WMU for 50% of the cost of tobacco cessation products you've purchased through Sindecuse Pharmacy. After successfully quitting tobacco for 12 months, WMU will send you the remaining 50% of total expenses incurred on products used.
Please keep in mind that if you participate in Kick the Nic program, you will receive reimbursement of no more than $500 for out of pocket expenses in your lifetime. Again, to receive reimbursement, products must be purchased through Sindecuse Pharmacy.
Ready to start quitting? Follow these simple steps for reimbursement:
- View all the resources available to you through Kick the Nic.
- Decide on the resources you prefer to use to stop smoking.
Note: If you plan to use the tobacco cessation specialist at Sindecuse, simply call (269) 387-3290 to schedule either a phone consultation or visit. Skip the remaining steps since enrollment will be done at the time of consultation or phone appointment.
- If your preferred method includes a resource other than the Sindecuse Tobacco Cessation Specialist, enroll in Kick the Nic by calling 269-387-3290 and request to speak to our Tobacco Cessation Specialist. You will be directed to:
- Complete a Release of information form
- Confirm the date you plan to stop using tobacco
- Receive additional information
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