You may or may not be aware that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Also, you may or may not be aware that the Lake County Indiana NECA – I.B.E.W. Health and Benefit Plan makes tobacco cessation services available to all participants enrolled in or provided through a physician-supervised smoking cessation program. Coverage is limited to two (2) smoking cessation attempts of 90 ninety days per year.
We are pleased to announce that effective, July 1, 2019 the smoking cessation program will also include payments for all seven medications as well as smoking cessation agents such as prescribed nicotine patches and prescribed nicotine gum.
Please be advised that smoking cessation agents fall into three general categories: Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT), Zyban (bupropion), and Chantix (varenicline). All agents are first line therapies and will be covered for 12 weeks.
Additional products covered, and their daily maximum limits include:
- Nicotine gum – up to 24 pieces per day
- Nicotine patches – 1 patch per day
- Nicotine lozenges – up to 20 lozenges per day
- Nicotine inhalers – Dispensed in a pharmacy up to 168 inhalers per 30 days
- Nicotine nasal spray – 4 spray bottles per 30 days (This therapy is reserved for those who
have failed other forms of nicotine replacement therapy.)
Note-Drugs in this category may be combined for concurrent use. • Bupropion – 300 mg. daily (NRT and bupropion will not be covered concurrently.) • Varenicline – 2 mg. daily