Smoking Cessation

KY Voices for Health is part of the Medicaid Smoking Cessation Coalition and has been supporting efforts to fund a comprehensive Medicaid Smoking Cessation Program in Kentucky. More than half a million people in the U.S. are enrolled in state Medicaid programs and some of the highest rates of smoking are found within this segment of the population—36.6 percent smoke, compared to 22.6 percent of the general population. The habit not only costs these smokers their health, but it also costs the federal and state governments money. Helping smokers enrolled in Medicaid quit smoking will save their lives and save states money. Fortunately there are several treatments that increase smokers’ chances of quitting for good. Nicotine replacement therapy, other medications, and counseling have all been recommended by the U.S. Health and Human Services as effective in helping smokers quit. Having insurance coverage of these treatments and providing them at low or no cost is especially important for people in these programs, as they are by definition low-income and less able to pay for treatments on their own.

Despite the high cost of smoking, Kentucky had been one of only a handful of states not offering Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation services. This status was reversed in 2010 when Governor Steve Beshear proposed funding Medicaid smoking cessation coverage as part of the biennial budget, and the General Assembly appropriated $1.5 million for that purpose. When matched with federal Medicaid funds, Kentucky will have about $11 million for the smoking cessation program.

Medicaid Smoking Cessation Program: Save Lives and Money 2010

THANK YOU GOVERNOR BESHEAR FOR FUNDING THE MEDICAID SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAM (1/13/10)

Fund Medicaid Smoking Cessation Fact Sheet

Compilation of Media Coverage for Funding Request for Medicaid Smoking Cessation Program