Legislators missed boat on cleaner air

The Iowa Legislature had an opportunity to improve the health of Iowans but House File 2122, a bill that would require health plans to cover smoking cessation benefits, did not make the legislative deadline.

This legislation would have a return on investment unlike any other insurance mandate due to the drastic health care costs associated with tobacco use. It's estimated that Iowa's employers lose $1 billion in productivity on top of the $1 billion spent on direct health care costs from using tobacco.

Wellmark recently pointed out that an extreme increase in premium rates is largely because Iowans are increasingly unhealthy with more cases of chronic disease. I encourage the Legislature to look at smoking cessation coverage next year.

Eileen L Fisher

President,

Clean Air for Everyone

Iowa CAN