The National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) has cited smoking-prevention programs as one of the most cost-effective ways for employers to cut their healthcare costs.

The NBCH's eValue8 healthcare performance-evaluation tool found that 80 percent of health plans "are adopting evidence-based benefit design and are incorporating counseling and the use of FDA-approved medication with positive results," according to Dennis White, senior vice president for value-based purchasing at the group.

About half of the health plans assessed by NBCH for their tobacco-cessation programs scored 50 percent or better, with 17 percent scoring 75 percent or better on the 100-point eValue8 scale.

The NBCH is a nonprofit whose members include about 60 employer-based healthcare coalitions and is dedicated to value-based purchasing of healthcare services.