http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20041223a.html
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
This news release announces the intent by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide new coverage allowing certain Medicare beneficiaries who smoke to receive counseling services that will help them quit the habit. The coverage decision involves Medicare beneficiaries who have an illness caused or complicated by smoking, including heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, lung disease, weak bones, blood clots, and cataracts -- the diseases that account for the bulk of Medicare spending today. It also applies to beneficiaries who take any of the many medications whose effectiveness is complicated by smoking -- including insulins and medicines for high blood pressure, seizures, blood clots and depression.