Just in time for the Year 2000, today s smokers can start on the road to a healthier, smoke-free millennium. New medications on the market today have made it easier for smokers to wean themselves from a nicotine addiction. They aren t magic, but medicines can blunt the painful withdrawal symptoms many smokers suffer when they try to quit. There are currently five treatments to choose from. We all must realize that a nicotine addiction is a chronic disease that requires treatment, just like diabetes or high blood.
Smoking is also notable in that it is the leading cause of premature death.
In fact, smoking will kill one in three smokers in Wisconsin today. One terrible paradox in our state is that virtually every insurance plan pays for the cost of treating smoking-related diseases, but refuses to cover smoking cessation services. It makes no sense. Encouraging or requiring most insurance plans to cover the costs of these necessary services is an important health care challenge. In the meantime, smokers must recommit themselves to quitting, even if they have to pay for the treatment themselves.