P
roviders can help Medi-Cal
members who smoke and want
to quit by informing them
of the new Medi-Cal Incentives to
Quit Smoking (MIQS) project.
Members can get a $20
incentive when they call the
California Smokers’ Helpline at
800-
NO-BUTTS (800-662-8887)
.
Members must be at least 18
years old and participate in one
telephone
counseling
session.
Callers need to have the member
14-
digit beneficiary identification
card (BIC) number available when
they call, and they must ask for the
incentive in order to receive it. Please
join the effort to help our members
quit smoking.
What Are the
Costs of Smoking?
Tobacco-caused illnesses account
for 11% of Medi-Cal expenditures.
Medi-Cal members smoke at higher
rates than the general population in
California (20% vs. 14%) and are at
high risk for developing smoking-
related chronic diseases, such as
diabetes and heart disease.
Diseases caused by cigarette
smoking result in $96 billion in
U.S. health care costs per year. In
addition, smoking is still the leading
preventable cause of death in the
U.S., causing nearly one of every
five deaths annually.
How Effective Is the
California Smokers’
Helpline?
The New England Journal of
Medicine
published the results of
a randomized, controlled trial, in
which smokers who participated in
telephone counseling had abstinence
rates approximately double the rates
of smokers who did not receive
counseling.
Since its debut in August 1992,
the California Smokers’ Helpline
has provided free, personalized
and confidential services to more
than 600,000 Californians from
diverse communities throughout
the state.
For more information or to
order supplies, such as “Take
Charge” cards, v
isit
www.california
smokershelpline.org
.
What Can Health
Care Providers Do?
Ask, Advise, Refer,
Motivate!
●●
Ask
all Medi-Cal members if
they smoke.
●●
Advise
them to quit
smoking if they do.
●●
Refer
members who smoke
to the California Smokers’
Helpline at
800-
NO-BUTTS
(800-662-8887)
for free,
effective, telephone-based
cessation counseling in
English, Spanish, Vietnamese,
Korean and Chinese.
●●
Motivate
members to call
by telling them about the
$20 gift card.
How Effective Are
Incentives?
A systematic literature review of
47
randomized controlled trials,
published in the
American Journal
of Preventive Medicine
,
showed that
economic incentives work 73% of
the time to improve participation in
preventive health activities.
What Does the
Alliance Cover?
The Alliance is committed to helping
our members quit smoking. We
cover cessation medications, as well
as a one-time cessation class. We also
provide health education materials
to members and refer them to the
California Smokers’ Helpline.
For coverage details and exclusions,
please visit the Alliance provider
website at
www.ccah-alliance.org/
providerspdfs/Tobacco_Cessation_
Scholarships.pdf
.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
California Diabetes Program; California Smokers’ Helpline
Smoking Cessation
$20 Member Incentive to Quit Smoking
DECEMBER 2012
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