STATE—According to a new report, Helping Smokers Quit: State Cessation Coverage, released in November 2008 by the American Lung Association, just six states provide comprehensive cessation coverage for state employees and New Jersey is not one of them. The six states are: Alabama, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and New Mexico. Beyond that, 38 states cover at least some cessation medications, leaving much room for needed improvement.
“States like New Jersey are missing a big opportunity to help smokers quit and to save themselves money by covering comprehensive tobacco treatments,” said Deborah Brown, vice president of community outreach and advocacy for the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic. “Millions of dollars and countless lives could be saved each year if more smokers quit.”


