The information issued today provides much-needed clarity to plans and insurers on what constitutes a comprehensive tobacco cessation benefit under the Affordable Care Act. The ACA requires most health plans to cover tobacco cessation services at no cost to the enrolle, but implementation of this benefit has been inconsistent. Smokers have reported difficulties accessing treatments and having to pay for services that should have been free. ACS CAN along with its public health partners submitted a letter to HHS earlier this year asking for clarification to address these concerns. The majority of the nation 's 42 million smokers want to quit, and about half of all smokers make a quit attempt each year. Studies have shown that insurance coverage of evidence-based cessation treatments leads to the increased use of these treatments and greater success in quitting. With this guidance, the administration has clarified that tobacco users should have access to proven tobacco cessation counseling and medications approved by the FDA, at no cost to them. Quitting tobacco often takes several tries, and the guidance specifies that health plans cover at least two cessation attempts that include at least four counseling sessions and a 90-day supply of medication. The Surgeon General 's report released earlier this year asserted that progress in tobacco control is not moving fast enough. Today 's guidance should help accelerate that progress by resulting in more successful quit attempts, which will save lives. ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visitæwww.fightcancer.org. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Lauren Walens or Steven Weiss American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Phone: (202) 661-5763 or (202) 661-5711 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] #tobacco #ACA #cessation #ACSCAN #healthcare