Amendment #721 to H4100

Tobacco Cessasion

Representatives Ehrlich of Marblehead, Linsky of Natick, Balser of Newton, Sullivan of Fall River, Hecht of Watertown, Sciortino of Medford, Puppolo of Springfield, Andrews of Orange, Scibak of South Hadley, Provost of Somerville, Beaton of Shrewsbury, Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield, Cabral of New Bedford, Schmid of Westport and Sánchez of Boston move that the bill be amended by adding at the end thereof the following:

SECTION XX.

Chapter 32A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 17H the following section:

Section 17I. The commission shall provide to any active or retired employee of the commonwealth who is insured under the group insurance commission a smoking and tobacco use cessation treatment benefit. Smoking and tobacco use cessation treatment and information benefits shall include but not be limited to, nicotine replacement therapy, other evidence-based pharmacologic aids to quitting smoking, and accompanying counseling by a physician, certified tobacco use cessation counselor, or other qualified clinician, with co-pays of not more than $3.

Chapter 118H of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting the following section:

Section 7. Any policy of insurance for accident or sickness, or agreement for medical or health services, which shall be delivered or issued or renewed or certified in this Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program described in Chapter 118H of the General Laws, shall provide as a benefit to all individual subscribers and members within the Commonwealth, for expenses of tobacco use cessation treatment as hereinafter set forth. Smoking and tobacco use cessation treatment and information benefits shall include but not be limited to, nicotine replacement therapy, other evidence-based pharmacologic aids to quitting smoking, and accompanying counseling by a physician, certified tobacco use cessation counselor, or other qualified clinician, with co-pays of not more than $3.