RALEIGH -- State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, announced  that the State Health Plan (Plan) will save $479,000 and improve tobacco cessation services for members by switching to CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic available at locations nationwide. CVS Caremark is currently the Plan’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager.

The State Health Plan currently contracts with QuitlineNC to offer telephonic tobacco cessation services at a cost of $1.3 million a year. Starting with Open Enrollment this year, the Plan will contract with CVS Caremark to offer tobacco cessation services to members through CVS MinuteClinics for $862,000 a projected savings of $479,000. This service will include face-to-face tobacco cessation counseling to Plan members.

“We reward State Health Plan members for not using tobacco by offering lower subscriber premiums. But if they choose to use tobacco, we want to help them quit,” said Folwell. “Switching tobacco cessation service providers to CVS Minute Clinics, which are nationwide, will make it easier for our members to kick the habit, save money for the Plan, and allow us to better monitor drug adherence.”

During Open Enrollment for the 2019 benefit year, Sept. 29-Oct. 31, 2018, Plan subscribers will be able to reduce their subscriber-only premium by $60 a month by attesting that they are not tobacco users or, if they are, they are willing to participate in a tobacco cessation counseling session at a CVS MinuteClinic.

Plan members will receive more information regarding this program in their Open Enrollment materials, which will be mailed to their home in September.

The State Health Plan, a division of the N.C. Department of State Treasurer, provides health care coverage to more than 727,000 teachers, current and former lawmakers, state university and community college personnel, retirees and their dependents spending nearly $1 billion gross per year in pharmacy benefits.​