November 4, 2010 - A recent Centers for Disease Control study clearly outlines which states have made tobacco cessation a priority in their Medicaid programs. The report, entitled “State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments – United State 2009”, lists each state’s current coverage for tobacco cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy. There is a wide variance in state coverage, even though public health initiatives and clinical guidelines to reduce tobacco use have called for comprehensive coverage of recommended treatments. By far most state Medicaid programs fall short of this goal of comprehensive coverage.

Tobacco-dependence treatments are one of the few clinical preventive services shown to reduce costs. Insurers that provide adequate access and support for persons seeking to quit smoking can improve cessation rates substantially, with potential for considerable improvement in public health and reduction in medical expenditures. In Massachusetts, for example, a mandate for Medicaid coverage of tobacco-dependence cessation treatments was associated with a 26% decline in smoking rates among Medicaid enrollees. Persons insured under Medicaid have nearly twice the smoking rates (37%) of the general adult population (21%), and smoking-related medical costs are responsible for 11% of all Medicaid expenditures. Nationwide, coverage for tobacco-dependence treatments increased in the past two years, from 45 programs (including two with coverage only for pregnant women) to 47 programs, the most recent year for which comparable data were reported.

For More Information:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5941a4.htm?s_cid=mm5941a4_e