The American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout on Nov. 20 certainly got folks thinking about the effect cigarettes and other tobacco products can have on the human body. Now there’s word that smoking also causes taxpayers pain in the pocketbook.

According to a new report, “Helping Smokers Quit: State Cessation Coverage,” just released by the American Lung Association (ALA), Alabama is missing the boat when it comes to helping smokers quit and to save themselves money by covering comprehensive tobacco treatments.

“Millions of dollars and thousands of lives could be saved in Alabama if more smokers quit,” Kim Waters, deputy executive director of the American Lung Association of Alabama, said in a press release. “The annual healthcare cost in Alabama directly caused by smoking is $1.49 billion and we are losing 7,400 adults each year from their own smoking.”

According to ALA officials, recent studies estimate that lifetime savings in tobacco-related health expenditures for every former smoker total more than $20,000. Also, employers and insurance plans could save up to $210 per year for every covered smoker who quits.

“Helping smokers quit benefits us all — smokers and nonsmokers alike,” said Waters. “Unfortunately, many smokers lack access to the tools needed to help them succeed. Providing these treatments and tools as a fully covered, comprehensive insurance benefit increases the willingness of smokers to try to quit and improves their likelihood of success.”

Tommy Lotz, CEO of the state group’s regional parent, American Lung Association of the MidSouth, agrees. During a phone interview last week he said, “What you put in Medicare and Medicaid programs as a taxpaper is going toward medical care for smokers. The costs of ICU and acute care for lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema are skyrocketing.”

Lotz said legislators in Alabama and other states should work together to enact plans to provide all Medicaid recipients with comprehensive, easily accessible tobacco cessation medications and counseling. The Alabama Medicaid program does not currently cover any nicotine replacement therapies.

But, what is currently available in Alabama?

Individual counseling for pregnant women is covered for three sessions with the patient’s primary care provider. To be covered, pregnant women must enroll in the Medicaid Maternity Care Program.

The State Employees’ Health Insurance Program, through its Tobacco Cessation Program, covers nicotine replacement therapy gum, patches, lozenges, nasal spray, inhalers and the prescription drugs Bupropion and Varenicline. Individual, group and phone counseling is also covered.

Coverage is limited to up to $150 per lifetime. Costs for prescription drugs are not included in this limit. Copayments for medications range from $10-$100.

Alabama is one of only six states that do not cover cessation treatments for Medicaid recipients. However, the state is also one of the six that provides comprehensive cessation coverage for state employees.

The American Lung Association recommends that Alabama eliminate barriers such as co-pays, limits on the length of treatment and prior authorization requirements that can make it harder for smokers to get the help they need.

Officials with the organization contend eliminating these barriers is important for people with limited incomes because they create obstacles that discourage smokers from getting the help they need.

ALA also recommends that private insurance plans should offer comprehensive cessation coverage and encourages state officials here to require all insurance companies to cover these treatments. Only eight states (California, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota and Rhode Island) have enacted legislative or regulatory standards mandating private health insurance companies to provide cessation coverage.

Although municipalities across Alabama have enacted stumbling blocks that indirectly help smokers quit such as ordinances creating smoke-free environments in many businesses and public spaces, Lotz said the state is in the bottom five when it comes to the tobacco tax, another deterrent to smoking, especially for teens who have little if no discretionary income.

In addition to affecting taxpayers, smoking costs American business millions of dollars each year, according to the ALA.

“Individuals who do smoke take more breaks, and are not as productive as their nonsmoking counterparts,” Lotz said.

“Smoking is widely recognized as a disease of nicotine addiction,” stated Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association. “Just like any other health condition, patients respond differently to various tobacco cessation treatments. Most smokers try to quit more than once and may need to try different treatments in subsequent attempts. States must make it easier for smokers to access all recommended treatments. There is no one size fits all therapy.”

Lotz believes time is of the essence. He said, “Study after study has shown the less you smoke and the sooner you quit, the better your chances of not developing lung cancer. Quality of life improves dramatically, even for seniors who have been smoking for years.”

He noted another positive effect of smoking is the rejuvenation of the senses of taste and smell, adding, “It may not give them a longer number of years, but it gives them better quality.”

Information on American Lung Association cessation services, including its Freedom from Smoking program, can be obtained by calling the Lung Helpline at 800-LUNGUSA, or by visiting www.lungusa.org.