Cost-effective for insurance to cover stop smoking drugs

SHENZHEN, South China's Guangdong province, has launched a tobacco control plan that mentions listing smoking cessation medications in the basic medical care insurance. Beijing News comments:

The reported plan of Shenzhen is quite ambitious. According to reports, Shenzhen plans to build a "tobacco-free city" by 2020, as well as maintain the smoking rate of the elderly population below 20 percent.

In order to realize these goals, the municipal government has shown strong determination. For example, it has already ordered all public-sponsored hospitals and community health centers to open smoking cessations clinics by the end of this year. At the same time, the plan also mentions that Shenzhen will explore the inclusion of smoking cessation drugs in the list of medications covered by medical insurance.