Surgeon General’s report ignites call for more smoking cessation

Earlier this month, the Surgeon General released a new report on smoking and health, marking the health agency’s 50^th anniversary for when it first linked smoking to health concerns. The “Nation’s Doctor” is now correlating even more dire consequences to the addiction that will likely push more employers to incorporate smoking cessation initiatives into wellness programs in order to curb health risks and boost employee productivity.  

One of the main findings is that smoking is “causally linked” to numerous health consequences beyond lung cancer and respiratory diseases. New conditions to spring up in this report include chronic diseases such as age-related macular degenerations, diabetes, congenital defects, rheumatoid arthritis, immune functions and pregnancy-related ailments. Also liver and colorectal cancers are now connected to the long list associated with smoking.

Additional findings connect secondhand smoke to causing stroke among Americans, according to the Surgeon General’s report.

In terms of productivity, the Surgeon General notes that the “nation pays enormous financial costs because of smoking.” Annual smoking-attributable economic costs include between $289-332.5 billion, which is divvied up among direct medical care of adults, loss of productivity due to premature death and lost productivity due to secondhand smoke exposure.

As a result, the Surgeon General’s report delves into what steps and programs can end the epidemic. These include raising cigarette prices, smoke free indoor air policies, media campaigns and “full access to cessation treatment.”

Efforts to tackle cessation among employer health and wellness programs have made huge strides; Nelnet is one such employer to do so. The Lincoln, Neb.-based educational services company experienced a 73% decrease in smoking among its staffers thanks to actively screening and incorporating programs. But there is more to be done.

Provant, a health and wellness solutions company, is a major player in partnering with businesses to “improve the health, well-being and productivity of employees.”

Barbara Haydon, Provant senior vice president of clinical services, says that the industry equates a $6,000 price tag in savings for employers should an employee cease smoking. She adds that this includes productivity loss from smoking breaks, the medical costs and lost days due to respiratory issues.

“Smoking puts you at a high risk category, so employers are targeting that high risk population,” Haydon says. She notes that there has been a 35% uptick in health coaching programs, where about half of Provant’s clients offer specific intensive smoking cessation programs.

“They realize that smokers are costing them money and they want their employees to be healthy so there is a big push for tobacco cessation,” says Haydon, a more than 30-year veteran of the health care and wellness industry.

However, Amy McAllister, senior director of health coaching and program development, says employers and the wellness industry need to be at the forefront of the conversation.

“If we can get this knowledge out, it can almost scare and motivate people that this is not just about lung cancer,” McAllister says. “…It’s kind of the catalyst to have companies start offering tobacco cessation programs and really offer different options for their employees.”

While the ACA will begin enforcement in 2015 for companies that do not offer insurance that meets minimum standards, Haydon says that the ACA can and will bolster smoking cessation efforts among these employers.

“I think that the Affordable Care Act supports this because of all the preventive work that they want done,” Haydon says. “I believe that there will be ways to get dollars for this.”

According to a workplace wellness study issued in April 2013, the Department of Labor notes that the ACA “supports these initiatives through a number of provisions intended to leverage workplace wellness programs as a means to reduce the burden of chronic disease and control health care costs.” Through a case study including governmental, services and manufacturing companies, the DOL found that numerous incentive wellness programs tackled smoking, screening and health outcomes.

These include interests in “workplace wellness programs to improve employee health, such as wellness screenings, onsite clinics, healthier food options in cafeterias and vending machines, and greater opportunities for physical activity.”

Provant’s programs do vary among each client but usually maintain a minimum for coaching sessions, providing education and nicotine replacement strategies.

“The more kinds of cessation tools, the more success they will have,” McAllister says.