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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
Tel: 1-800-CDC-INFO
(1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)
State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments
—United States, 1994–2002
January 30, 2004 / Vol. 53 / No. 3
MMWR Highlights
Need for Tobacco-Dependence Treatment Among Medicaid Enrollees
- Because rates of smoking are highest among people living in poverty,
the negative health effects of tobacco use are of major concern for State Medicaid programs.
- Medicaid recipients have approximately 50% greater smoking prevalence
than the overall U.S. population.
- In 2000, approximately 11.5 million (36%) adult Medicaid recipients
smoked cigarettes.
Extent of Coverage for Tobacco-Use Treatments In State Medicaid Programs
- In 2002, 11 (22%) states offered no coverage for
tobacco-dependence treatment under Medicaid, and only New Jersey and
Oregon provided coverage for all treatment options recommended by the
PHS Clinical Practice Guideline.
- The number of Medicaid programs providing some coverage for
counseling or medication increased from 37 (73%) in 2001 to 40 (78%) in
2002.
- In 2002, only 16 (31%) states offered some form of tobacco-dependence
counseling services, the primary recommendation for pregnant women.
- Only 11 (28%) state Medicaid programs that provided coverage for
tobacco-dependence treatment benefits informed their recipients that
these benefits were available to them.
- Of the 40 states that offered any coverage in 2002, all but one
covered at least one pharmacotherapy treatment (i.e., Zyban®, nicotine
nasal spray, nicotine inhaler, nicotine patch, or nicotine gum).
- Data show that co-payments result in decreased use of treatment;
however, 20 (57%) states required some form of patient cost sharing,
which ranged from $1 to $3 per prescription.
- According to the Public Health Service (PHS) Clinical Practice
Guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, treatment with either
counseling or medication doubles quit rates.
- The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends reducing the
cost of tobacco-dependence treatments, especially in low-income
populations, to increase the use of treatment by smokers attempting to
quit and the number of successful quitters.
Page last reviewed 02/28/2007
Page last modified 02/28/2007