Medicaid Programs Limit Coverage for Smoking Cessation

Most state Medicaid programs offer some type of coverage for smoking-cessation programs, but just two states cover treatment completely, according to research from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Cardiology Today reported Nov. 5 that the CDC found that 84 percent of state Medicaid programs cover smoking cessation on a fee-for-service basis. However, 41 of the 43 programs that offer coverage charge copayments for services, 25 limit the duration of treatment, 21 require prior authorization, and 13 require patients to enroll in behavior-modification programs in order to get pharmacological assistance.

New Jersey and New Mexico are the only states that offer unfettered access to smoking-cessation services, the report said.

The findings were published in the Nov. 6, 2009 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.