Benefits can help employees quit tobacco
Both the USA Health & Dental Plan and the USA VIVA Health & Dental Plan offer support programs to help enrolled employees and their covered spouses quit using tobacco products.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and a good time to consider quitting tobacco use. If you’re a USA Health employee enrolled in the USA Health & Dental Plan (BCBS) or the USA VIVA Health & Dental Plan, you and your spouse are eligible to enroll in a tobacco cessation program.
“We hope that these programs will encourage all employees to adopt healthy lifestyle choices,” said Tina Stalmach, director of human resources, benefits. “Tobacco use, especially smoking, increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and respiratory diseases. That’s why USA is committed to helping employees who want to quit to do so successfully.”
Employees and spouses covered by the USA Health & Dental Plan can enroll in the Quit For Life Program. It offers customized phone counseling, a 24-hour support hotline and nicotine replacement patches, gum or lozenges. There is no cost to employees. For more information, call 1-888-768-7848.
Employees and spouses covered by the USA VIVA Health & Dental Plan can schedule two visits with a primary care provider or specialist with no co-pay. The pharmacy benefit provides tobacco cessation products for up to 12 weeks without prior authorization for generic Zyban, generic nicotine patch, gum and lozenges; and nicotine inhaler or nasal spray; up to 24 weeks without prior authorization for varenicline tartrate (Chantix), Tamoxifen and raloxifene (generic only). For more information, call VIVA Health Customer Service at 1-800-294-7780.
For additional tobacco cessation resources, employees can contact the USA Employee Assistance Program office at 251-461-1346.
