Unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, overeating, or lack of exercise lead to chronic health conditions, and many patients wanting to make positive changes to their health may seek the advice of their doctor to do so. But our insurance payment system works against supporting people when they want to act in a healthy way, and some of these payment decisions seem rooted in prejudices against those suffering from certain conditions.
Smoking cessation seems like something insurance companies would support. Fewer smokers means fewer heart attacks, strokes, and cancers. How can you not support people quitting smoking? Yet insurance companies do not pay for smoking cessation efforts in any meaningful way.
In 2014, the Affordable Care Act mandated coverage for smoking cessation, but the payment is roughly $20, and the number of visits is limited per year. So you cannot see a patient only for smoking cessation ; you need to have another reason to code to get paid for the visit.
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