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SALT LAKE CITY — More than three times as many smokers are successful at quitting with the help of doctor-prescribed medications than they are quitting cold turkey. And now, through a new local program, those costly medications might be free for some smokers.
Tobacco use costs Utah taxpayers $369 million in smoking-related medical expenses.
"People who don't have insurance usually don't have a doctor to go to so they're not going to have a doctor to prescribe medications for them to stop smoking," said David Neville, who works for the Utah Department of Health's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.
Medical providers at the Health Clinics of Utah and the Family Dental Plan — which accept patients with or without insurance — are now able to give vouchers for one of two FDA-approved drugs to help their patients who wouldn't typically have access to such cost-prohibitive smoking cessation methods.
"It's just one more way for smokers to quit," Neville said. "We see bigger success rates when they use pharmacological interventions."
The vouchers can only be used at any of the 47 Smith's pharmacy locations statewide, as the grocer presented a bid to provide the drugs at the lowest cost to the state's health department, which is funding the program through various grants.
"These drugs are to be taken in the time period right after a reduction of smoking," said Blair Woolf, pharmacy director for Smith's Food and Drug stores. He said nicotine patches and nicotine gums, which are offered at low- or no-cost to smokers who call Utah's Tobacco Quit Line (1-800-QUIT-NOW) for help, but they are also addicting and are not always effective.
"You really need to get off of the nicotine," Woolf said. "And these medications help to relieve the craving feelings you get when you try to quit smoking."
Typically, Chantix, which is FDA-approved for smoking cessation treatment, can cost patients up to $4 a day, or typically $120 for an eight-week regimen. The new statewide program will cover that cost. Bupropion, or Zyban, is another available drug for which the program will pick up the tab.
"Quitting tobacco is difficult," said Health Clinics of Utah director and registered nurse Steve Ipsen. He said helping someone quit smoking impacts not only their immediate health, but their future health and the health of their family.
"The easier we can make it, the more smokers will transition to being ex-smokers," Ipsen said.
Tobacco use costs Utah taxpayers $369 million in smoking-related medical expenses and $294 million in lost productivity each year, according to the UDOH. Cost-effective anti-tobacco programs and quit services have been proven to provide a return on investment through the resulting health and economic benefits for the state. In addition to saving lives, each percentage point reduction in the smoking rate, equals savings of $315 million in future health care costs.
Neville said that tobacco prevention and control efforts in Utah are working, but more needs to be done. This latest voucher program aims to help those who wouldn't otherwise have access to smoking cessation medications and increase the quality of life for some smokers who otherwise need help to quit.
"Any smoker who gives up smoking, their quality of life improves," Neville said. "They breathe easier. They can do more things. Life is better for them."
E-mail:wleonard@ksl.com
