By 2020, all cigarette smokers will have access to smoking cessation treatments, according to a new plan released this week by the National Working Group for ACTTION (Access to Cessation Treatment for Tobacco In Our Nation).
Most smokers do want to quit, but they need the help of counseling, medication or hotlines, said the plan’s backers, a coalition of two dozen which includes two former U.S. surgeons general’s and three former secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services.
It’s a no brainer for your lungs, say advocates: increase access to treatment and more Americans will quit puffing.
Smoking is the leading cause of Lung cancer. The disease claims the lives of more than 157,000 American men and women annually. More people die each year from lung cancer than that of breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. One in five Americans uses tobacco.
It’s a call to action, with Medicare and Medicaid as two primary targets.
Dating back to 2005, Medicare has only covered counseling for those individuals who already have smoking-related illnesses, or those whose medications don’t mesh well with tobacco.
According to a recent study by the American Lung Association, Medicaid coverage is severely lacking.
Only seven states offer extensive cessation benefits even though low-income Medicaid individuals are 60 percent more likely to smoke compared to the average adult.
“Plain and simple, it is bad public policy,” said Bernadette Toomey, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association.
Smokeout 2008: Now is the Time to Quit
Start by quitting for a day, then quit for life, urges the American Cancer Society.
The CDC recently said the U.S. won’t meet the Healthy People 2010 objective of reducing adult smoking rates to below 12 percent.
That means, smoking-related health conditions will continue to soar, deaths and lost productivity will continue plaguing the nation for years to come.
“Now, is an important time to help people decide to try and quit,” said Thomas J. Glynn, of the American Cancer Society.
There is no better time to make the effort than on Thursday, the 33rd annual Great American Smokeout, when the American Cancer Society asks smokers to try and quit puffing.
“A journey of a 1,000 miles starts with one single step, and that single step starts the day of the Great American Smokeout,” Glynn said. But people need to follow through… one day turns to a month and a month to a year until you have quit for good.
We know quitting can be hard, but it can be done, Glynn said. “People need to look at it as a process and the Great American Smokeout is a great first step.”
Download the Smokeout Countdown Clock from the American Cancer Society for some extra support and daily tips to help you prepare and quit. #