The New York State Department of Financial Services ("DFS") has issued guidance advising New York insurers that they must cover the costs associated with most vaping cessation – without co-pays, coinsurance, and deductibles – using the same treatments recommended for smoking cessation.
"E-cigarette use has exploded in recent years and many of the people who want to quit are now having trouble because vaping is more addicting than they previously thought," Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement. "New Yorkers trying to stop vaping need access to treatment, and this action will require insurance companies to provide the same coverage they would for smoking cessation to anyone seeking to stop using e-cigarettes."
In a statement, the DFS pointed out that, as of December 3, 2019, 2,291 cases of e-cigarette-associated lung injury had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control from 50 states, and 48 deaths have been confirmed in 25 states, including in New York, where a second death due to a vaping-associated illness was reported on November 20.
According to the new guidance, because e-cigarettes contain nicotine, and people who vape may become addicted to nicotine, insurers should provide coverage for vaping cessation treatment using methods recommended for smoking cessation, including screening, behavioral interventions, and FDA-approved pharmacotherapy for adults and behavioral interventions for school-aged children and adolescents, as appropriate.
The DFS superintendent, Linda A. Lacewell, said, "Insurers must adapt to address emerging issues in public health and that includes vaping, which is growing in use including among teenagers causing illnesses and even deaths. Insurers must cover vaping cessation in the same way they cover services for smoking cessation, and do so without cost-sharing."
Learn more: New guidance.
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].