State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Cessation Treatments and Barriers to Accessing Treatments

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Medicaid enrollees smoke cigarettes at a higher rate than do privately insured U.S. residents (25.3% versus 11.8%). Comprehensive state Medicaid cessation coverage has the potential to reduce smoking, smoking-related disease, and health care expenditures among Medicaid enrollees. A Healthy People 2020 objective calls for comprehensive tobacco cessation treatment coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

What is added by this report?

Although progress occurred in state Medicaid tobacco cessation coverage during 2015–2017, coverage continues to fall short of the target set by the Healthy People 2020 objective. As of June 30, 2017, 10 states covered all nine evidence-based cessation treatments considered in this study for all Medicaid enrollees, up from nine states in 2015. All but one of these 10 states had barriers to accessing some treatments. As of June 30, 2017, 32 states covered all seven FDA-approved cessation medications, and 33 states covered individual cessation counseling, with 10 of the latter states also covering group counseling.

What are the implications for public health practice?

State Medicaid programs can help Medicaid enrollees quit smoking by covering all evidence-based cessation treatments, removing barriers that make it difficult for enrollees to access these treatments, and promoting covered treatments to increase their use.