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When you’re ready to stop smoking, Aetna Public Employees Health
Plan is here to help.
Members can enroll free in the Free & Clear tobacco cessation
program and get these great benefits:
- Telephone support and online communication
- Free medication, when recommended by your Free & Clear counselor, including:
- Chantix®
- Zyban®, or the generic buproprion
- Nicotine patches, lozenges or gum
Free & Clear FAQs
What is the Free & Clear Quit For Life Program?
What does the Quit For Life Program include?
Who is eligible for the program?
How much does it cost to participate in the Quit For Life Program?
Why use the Free & Clear program?
What about other forms of tobacco besides cigarettes?
Is there evidence that the Quit For Life Program works?
Is participation in the Quit For Life Program confidential?
How does someone enroll in the Quit For Life Program?
Can a member enroll again if he/she starts using tobacco again?
What is the Free & Clear Quit For Life Program?
For more than 20 years, this nationally recognized, scientifically based program has successfully helped hundreds of thousands of people quit tobacco. Free & Clear uses a comprehensive approach to effectively address all three aspects of tobacco dependence: physical, psychological and behavioral.
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What does the Quit For Life Program include?
The Quit For Life Program consists of proactive phone-based treatment sessions with a professional tobacco treatment specialist (quit coach). Participants can also call in to the program as many times as they want for additional support. The quit coach works with participants one-on-one to develop a tailored quit plan and provides guidance and support during the quit process. The program includes:
• Phone-based treatment sessions scheduled at the convenience of the participant.
• Unlimited toll-free telephone access to our quit coaches for the duration of treatment.
• Recommendations on type dose and duration of medication, if appropriate.
• Nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches, gum or lozenges.
• A Quit Kit with materials designed to help participants stay on track between calls.
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Who is eligible for the program?
The Quit For Life Program is available to all Aetna members and their dependents.
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How much does it cost to participate in the Quit For Life Program?
The Quit For Life Program is provided FREE. Even the full cost of nicotine replacement products and prescription drugs such as bupropion or Chantix are FREE when recommend by a Free & Clear quit coach.
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Why use the Free & Clear program?
On average, people who don’t use tobacco enjoy better health, longer lives and lower medical expenses, which helps keep health care premiums down. The health benefits of quitting tobacco start almost immediately and continue for a lifetime.
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What about other forms of tobacco besides cigarettes?
Free & Clear tailors the Quit For Life Program to the needs of the participants. Whatever the tobacco type—cigarettes, cigars, pipes or even smokeless tobacco—Free & Clear’s intensely trained quit coaches work closely with participants to design an effective quit plan.
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Is there evidence that the Quit For Life Program works?
Free & Clear has helped more than 125,000 people successfully quit tobacco. In fact, Free & Clear’s quit rate is more than twice as high as the standard established by the U.S. Public Health Service and more than five times as high as quitting “cold turkey.”
The program was first validated in 1989 through a randomized clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute and the University of North Carolina. The study demonstrated that the combination of self-help materials and telephone counseling boosted quit rates by 50 percent. The program has continued to conduct large, randomized trials to prove its methods and effectiveness over the years and has also received six consecutive awards from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) for achievements in tobacco control initiatives.
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Is participation in the Quit For Life Program confidential?
Under federal law, all Free & Clear employees are required to protect the confidentiality of participants’ personal health information. If you have specific questions about how Free & Clear protects participants’ privacy, please contact Free & Clear.
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How does someone enroll in the Quit For Life Program?
Enrollment is easy—participants can call 1-866-QUIT-4-LIFE (784-8454) to get started. A registration specialist will verify eligibility to enroll and transfer them to a quit coach for an initial intervention. The program is not available to Aetna members and their dependents until January 1, 2008 when they become members of the Aetna plan.
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Can a member enroll again if he/she starts using tobacco again?
Yes. We recognize that it often takes several attempts to quit tobacco for good, and that participants may start using tobacco again during the program. The Quit For Life Program was designed to support participants through all phases of quitting including relapse. Aetna will cover the program and all of the supplies (nicotine replacement products and prescription drugs) as many times as needed to ensure you receive the support you need to quit for life.
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