CDC and the American Lung Association released a new tobacco-related article today in the journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), “State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Cessation Treatment and Barriers to Accessing Treatments – United States, 2018-2022”.
Among the highlights in the article:
- Cigarette smoking is more common among adults enrolled in Medicaid than adults with private insurance.
- As of December 2022, Medicaid programs in 20 states provided comprehensive coverage for all evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments – of these 20 states, only 3 had zero barriers to access. Coverage gaps and barriers to access remain a challenge in many states overall.
- State Medicaid programs can improve the health of enrollees who smoke – and potentially lower health care expenditures – by providing barrier-free coverage for all evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments and by promoting this coverage to enrollees and providers.
The article is available online at the following url: bit.ly/mm7314a2