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Report: Minority of marketplace plans cover smoking cessation

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The overwhelming majority of state health insurance marketplace plans in the United States are not providing the coverage they should be for smoking cessation, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.  Millions of Americans who have enrolled in health insurance marketplace plans should be provided with free tools to quit smoking, but the association’s survey shows that fewer than 20 percent of plan issuers nationwide are providing the appropriate coverage.  In Iowa, none of the four insurance plans offered through the federally facilitated marketplace are in full compliance with ACA guidance for smoking cessation coverage. “Evidence suggests that smoking rates of people enrolled in marketplace plans are high, which means that we are missing the chance to offer full cessation benefits to those who may need it the most,” said Micki Sandquist, executive director for the American Lung Association in Iowa.