The ÖGK will support smoking cessation more strongly
Health
At the end of the year, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) will give all smokers in Salzburg more support to help them quit. Not only the personal advice, a telephone hotline, as well as online seminars should help – the cost factor also plays an increasing role.
Although smoking has been shown to be bad for your health and there are warnings on every pack of cigarettes, many smokers find it difficult to quit. According to Sophie Meingassner, head of the ÖGK’s smoke-free telephone line, the sharp rise in prices could now help willing smokers to get rid of nicotine.
Quitting also makes economic sense
Quitting smoking makes sense not only medically, but also economically. A pack of cigarettes currently costs between 5.50 and 6 euros. Anyone who smokes 20 cigarettes a day spends between 150 and 200 euros per month on it. That’s even up to 2,000 euros per year, Meingassner calculated. On rauchfrei.at, smokers can now individually calculate the monthly and annual savings without cigarettes.
More personal advice, courses and seminars
The ÖGK smoke-free telephone provides additional tips on how to successfully quit tobacco and nicotine over the long term. The cash desk also supports smokers with personal advice, courses and online seminars to help them quit, according to the head of the ÖGK smoke-free telephone, Sophie Meingassner.