CDC Releases Report on State Medicaid Coverage for
Tobacco-Dependence Treatments.
Connecticut is one of 8 states with no form of coverage. (2/08/08)
A new report, "State
Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments, United States, 2006,"
was published in today's issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
(pages 117-122), a publication of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
According to the report, 39 Medicaid programs (38 states and the District of
Columbia) cover one or more forms of treatment (nicotine patch, gum,
pharmacotherapy, counseling, etc.) for their entire Medicaid populations, and 4
additional states have programs that cover only pregnant women
Connecticut was one of only 8 states with no Medicaid coverage for smoking
cessation treatment in 2006, and its failure to do so is costly.
Connecticut spends almost $400 million in Medicaid funds each year on smoking related illnesses.
In addition, by not covering cessation services, the state is losing out on Federal matching funds of up to 50% on certain programs.
In 2007, the Connecticut Department of Social Services submitted to the legislature a plan to provide Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation services that met certain criteria. Such coverage should be mandatory under provisions of existing law, but funding was excluded from the budget
during the current fiscal year.
About 35% of Medicaid recipients in the U.S. are smokers—a higher percentage than the population
in general.
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