Help From the Affordable Care Act to Quit Smoking and Live Longer

Quitting smoking by age 35 may add 10 years to your life, according to a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine. And quitting even in middle age can increase your life expectancy by as many as six years. In fact, non-smokers are twice as likely to live to age 80 compared to smokers.

That�s why the Administration is focused on helping people, especially youth, from taking up smoking in the first place and helping adult smokers quit.� It�s not easy to stop smoking. The good news is that now, because of the Affordable Care Act, Americans have greater access than ever to resources to help them quit.

For many Americans with private health insurance plans, tobacco use screenings for all adults, cessation interventions for tobacco users, and expanded counseling for pregnant women who smoke will be covered at no out-of-pocket cost. And seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare who smoke or use tobacco products are now covered for counseling to help them stop.

But that�s not all we are doing. We are making an unprecedented investment in programs like the Million Hearts initiative, because cigarette smokers are 2-4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers. And a national ad campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helped tens of thousands of smokers to quit. Through investments in programs like these, we can prevent and detect heart disease early� and we can get people the information they need to stop smoking and make good health decisions.

Quitting smoking may be the single most effective thing you can do to improve your life expectancy, according to the article�s findings. And now the Affordable Care Act can help you find the way to quit and add years to your life.

Visit BeTobaccoFree.gov for additional resources on quitting and preventive tips for youth.

For more information about the CDC�s Tips From Former Smokers ad campaign, see www.cdc.gov/tips.

Listen to the Podcast: Be Tobacco Free.

Bellevue Hospital's Slow Comeback After Superstorm Sandy

More From Shots - Health News HealthWhy Some Families Won't Qualify For Subsidized Health InsuranceHealthGut Microbes May Play Deadly Role In MalnutritionHealth CareBellevue Hospital's Slow Comeback After Superstorm SandyHealthDid Penicillin, Rather Than The Pill, Usher In Age Of Love?

More From Shots - Health News

Comments   You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login / Register

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

Please enable Javascript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

Treating Everybody With HIV Is The Goal, But Who Will Pay?

More From Shots - Health News HealthKeep Calm And Carry On, Except When It Comes To CancerHealthHey, Kid, You Could Be A 'Disaster Hero'HealthPayment Can Be Elusive For Medicare Beneficiaries In Personal Injury CasesHealthHanging A Price Tag On Radiology Tests Didn't Change Doctors' Habits

More From Shots - Health News

Comments   You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login / Register

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

Please enable Javascript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

Vermont Single-Payer Financing Plan Released

The Shumlin administration released two financing plans Thursday evening: one for funding a publicly financed health care system and another to pay for portions of the state�s new health benefit exchange.

The much-anticipated single-payer financing plan provides more of a map of the state�s health care finance landscape than it does a course of action through it. The document itself alludes to the need for a plan with substantive revenue-generating measures.

�A future financing plan will likely feature a substantial and regular individual and employer contribution, similar to current law, albeit one paid through a public system,� the plan says.

The plan � which was drawn up by the University of Massachusetts for a price tag of $300,000 � estimates that the total savings of reforming the system would be about $35 million in 2017. The total $5.91 billion cost of the system would place a burden of $1.61 billion on taxpayers, after federal funding, and a $332 million chunk would be placed on employers who continued to enroll their employees on their insurance plans after the system takes effect.

While the plan points to a slate of tax bases for raising such revenues, the architects of the plan acknowledge the lack of information they had to work with � and, therefore, the potential inadequacy of their findings.

�Many details regarding the structure of a single payer system in Vermont have not been determined,� they write. �These details may significantly affect the assumptions underlying our models and therefore the results of our models.�

When Gov. Peter Shumlin and the Legislature approved Act 48 in 2011, they set the state on a track towards a publicly financed health care system. Part of that legislation called for a financing plan to be submitted to the Legislature by Jan. 15, 2013, that �shall recommend the amounts and necessary mechanisms to finance Green Mountain Care and any systems improvements needed to achieve a public-private universal health care system.�

On Thursday, Director of Health Care Reform Robin Lunge said the plan met the statutory goal.

�It has amounts, and it has necessary mechanisms included; it just doesn�t have one,� she said. Furthermore, she added, the plan seeds the Statehouse for constructive debate over how to pursue and implement such a health care system.

Jeffrey Wennberg, who runs the anti-single payer group Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, panned the report for its lack of substance.

�The report � contains surprisingly little information within its 91 pages,� he said in a public statement. �There is no multi-year budget or projection, and the Act 48-required recommendation for a funding source is completely absent.�

Giving Consumers a Picture of Health Insurance Costs & Benefits

Thanks to the health care law, starting today, millions of consumers will have access to a new consumer-friendly summary to help them understand their health insurance and compare health coverage options. This new tool, called the Summary of Benefits and Coverage�or SBC�has a uniform format that shows you basic information about your health insurance plan and how much it costs. The SBC also includes a new comparison tool, called Coverage Examples, that shows you what your insurance would cover in two common medical situations�having a baby and managing type 2 diabetes.

Health insurance issuers and group health plans must also provide access to a glossary of common terms (PDF 139KB) used in health insurance, such as �copayment� and �deductible,� with easy-to-understand definitions. And�for the first time�consumers who want to take a deeper dive into a particular plan or policy will be able to review the full contract outlining the benefits and limitations�before they sign up for coverage.�

The SBC will help consumers make informed choices based on critical information. For example, the Coverage Examples concept is modeled on the Nutrition Facts label�that rectangle on packaged foods with calories and grams of fat�that we now rely on when trying to make healthy choices for ourselves and our families at the grocery store.�

Coverage Examples showing what your insurance would cover.

Starting today, consumers can review SBCs for many individual market plans which are posted on the Plan Finder�, here on HealthCare.gov (Click on �Find Insurance Options�). �In addition, health plans and health insurance issuers must give you the SBC at certain times during the plan or policy year, including when you purchase coverage and when coverage renews.� Also, consumers can always get an SBC from a plan or issuer by requesting it.

The health insurance marketplace can be confusing for consumers.� The SBC will help explain benefits and costs in plain language and in a uniform and recognizable format so consumers can see how a particular plan works in terms they understand.� In addition, the SBC will not contain any �fine print� or insurance jargon. Instead, you�ll get the basic facts. And when we make the insurance marketplace more transparent and competitive, we empower consumers and help drive costs down.

Remember�Before you enroll, take control. The SBC can help you find a health insurance option that is best for you.

You can learn more information on today�s announcement here.

For a sample SBC, please visit this page (PDF 530KB).

For the SBC template, please visit this page (PDF 475 KB).

Businesses Sue Government Over Birth Control Mandate

More From Shots - Health News HealthTo Fight Addiction, FDA Advisers Endorse Limits On VicodinHealthWalk While You Talk: The Meeting Goes MobileHealthNew Norovirus Strain Rips Through The U.S.HealthFighting Misconceptions About Sickle Cell Disease In The ER

More From Shots - Health News

Comments   You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login / Register

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

Please enable Javascript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

Yoga On Commission: More Employers Pay For Good Health Habits

More From Shots - Health News HealthTo Fight Addiction, FDA Advisers Endorse Limits On VicodinHealthWalk While You Talk: The Meeting Goes MobileHealthNew Norovirus Strain Rips Through The U.S.HealthFighting Misconceptions About Sickle Cell Disease In The ER

More From Shots - Health News

Comments   You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login / Register

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

Please enable Javascript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

Estimated Costs Drive Debate As Florida Weighs Medicaid Expansion

More From It's All Politics PoliticsObama Administration Takes Gun Control Fight Outside WashingtonPoliticsFor GOP Comeback, Leaders Urge Stepped-Up OutreachPoliticsSome In GOP Want New Electoral College RulesIt's All PoliticsCourt Ruling Upsets Conventional Wisdom On Recess Appointments

More From It's All Politics

Comments   You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login / Register

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

Please enable Javascript to view the comments powered by Disqus.