New American Lung Association Report

Nov 12th, 2009

New American Lung Association Report Urges Full Coverage of Proven Smoking Cessation Treatments

As the debate over health care reform takes center stage, a new national report from the American Lung Association finds states aren’t doing enough to help smokers quit. In its new report, Helping Smokers Quit: State Cessation Coverage 2009, the American Lung Association advocates for a national prevention and wellness strategy that targets reducing tobacco use by helping smokers quit and preventing them from starting

Kentucky health advocates say the report highlights the fact that Kentucky would be wise to invest now in funding smoking cessation treatments for the 285,000 smokers currently on Kentucky Medicaid.

“We aren’t asking Kentucky legislators to pass a new bill, or add another tax. We just want our elected officials to fund the program they already approved in 2007,” says Betsy Janes, the Lung Association’s advocacy director in Kentucky and member of Kentucky Voices for Health. “We know dollars are in short supply, but if we would allot just $1.5 million dollars now, we would quality for even more federal matching money and could save Kentucky more than $60 million in smoking-related Medicaid costs.”

Kentucky is one of only six states that does not offer comprehensive smoking cessation benefits to all Medicaid recipients. Smoking cessation is partially covered under Medicaid in the Passport Health program offered to residents in Jefferson County and a number of surrounding counties.

In 2007, the Kentucky General Assembly addressed this need by passing HB 337 to fund smoking cessation treatments such as counseling and medications for Kentucky Medicaid recipients. Unfortunately this program was never implemented and thousands of Kentuckians were left with no affordable option to help them quit smoking.

The Helping Smokers Quit: State Cessation Coverage 2009 report provides an overview of smoking cessation services and treatments offered in each state by public and private health care plans. Currently, only six states provide comprehensive smoking cessation coverage for Medicaid recipients.

“Helping smokers across the country quit must be an integral part of any reformed health care system,” said American Lung Association President and CEO Charles D. Connor. “Policy makers at the federal and state levels have a responsibility right now to ensure that the nearly 46 million smokers in this country have the help they need to quit.”

Tobacco kills 443,000 people in America each year. Kentucky ranks number one in tobacco-related deaths with 7,800 people dying each year due to tobacco use. Other compelling numbers tell the story on tobacco use in Kentucky, say advocates for full cessation coverage for all Medicaid recipients.

▪ 821,800. Adult smokers in Kentucky. Kentucky’s smoking rate — 25.2% —is five percentage points higher than the national average – 20%.

▪ $5.5 billion. Total annual Kentucky Medicaid expenditure in 2009.

▪ $500 million. Kentucky Medicaid expenditures attributable to smoking, according to the CDC.

▪ $2.09. Amount spent on smoking-related medical expenses for every pack of cigarettes sold in Kentucky.

▪ Only 16% of our Medicaid population is allowed a smoking cessation benefit.

“The addiction to tobacco is extremely deadly and costly,” said Norman H. Edelman, M.D., American Lung Association Chief Medical Officer. “The single most important thing a smoker can do to improve his or her health is to quit smoking, which may take multiple tries and various treatments to stop using tobacco products for good.”

Surveys show that 70 percent of tobacco users want to give up tobacco. Studies also show that smokers’ lives are more than 13 years shorter than non-smokers. Helping people quit saves lives as well as thousands of dollars in health care expenditures per smoker.

Comprehensive coverage requires providing easy access to the seven cessation medications and three forms of counseling recommended to treat nicotine addiction by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These medications include over-the- counter and prescription nicotine-replacement-therapies and two non-nicotine prescription drugs: bupropion and varenicline. According to HHS, counseling should include at least four individual, group or telephone therapy sessions lasting no less than 10 minutes each.

Since the Lung Association began tracking data on coverage of cessation treatments in 2008, there have been few changes to coverage policies. Presently, only six states provide comprehensive coverage for Medicaid recipients: Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

This lack of comprehensive cessation coverage in most states leaves smokers without clinically-proven treatment options when they want to quit.

The American Lung Association calls upon each state to provide all Medicaid recipients, state employees and private insurance holders with comprehensive, easily-accessible tobacco cessation medications and counseling.

“Helping more Americans quit smoking remains a top public health priority for the American Lung Association,” said Connor. “Quitting smoking also has economic benefits. Savings on smoking-related medical expenses benefit smokers, insurance companies, employers, and governments. We are here to provide expert support and proven resources that have helped more than one million people quit smoking for good."

The Helping Smokers Quit: State Cessation Coverage 2009 report can be found by visiting www.lungusa.org. Information on American Lung Association cessation services also includes the Freedom from Smoking programand Quitter in You campaign. The Quitter in You campaign is made possible though funding from Pfizer Inc.

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