Thinking of quitting? This new TRICARE benefit could help! Published May 31, 2011 By Shari Lopatin and Diane Mayer TriWest Healthcare Alliance GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Have you ever thought of quitting smoking, but just didn't feel readY -- yet? Or perhaps, you want to quit, but don't know where to start. After all, kicking that habit isn't exactly easy. That's why TRICARE now offers a new counseling benefit for smoking cessation. You don't need to have a smoking-related illness to use the benefit. You just need to receive the counseling from a TRICARE-authorized provider who's properly licensed or certified for this type of counseling. The only restriction is this: the smoking cessation counseling benefit is NOT available for Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. Need a reason to seek more information? Try this: According to the American Lung Association, your lungs will start growing healthier almost immediately after quitting. Check out any of these resources for more on the counseling benefit, or for help to quit smoking: · TriWest's tobacco cessation page: http://www.triwest.com/tobacco · TriWest Tobacco Quitline: 1-866-244-6870 · TRICARE Tobacco Free: http://www.tricare.mil/tobaccofree · DoD-sponsored website: http://www.ucanquit2.org · Center for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.smokefree.gov