Legislation to Strengthen Smoking Prevention Efforts is

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)and U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Todd Platts (R-PA)today introduced companion pieces of legislation in the U.S. Senate andU.S. House that provide Medicare and Medicaid coverage for tobaccocessation treatments for senior citizens, people with disabilities andlow-income adults.

Each year, tobacco use kills an estimated 438,000 Americans—about 1 in5 of all deaths in the United States. Tobacco use costs our nation $96billion annually in health care expenditures, including an estimated 14percent of all Medicaid costs. Tobacco use is a leading cause ofpregnancy complications, premature birth, and low birth weight.

"Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in theUnited States," said Senator Durbin. "While nicotine is a highlyaddictive drug, research has confirmed that smoking cessationstrategies that include counseling and FDA-approved therapies areextremely effective. And with 70% of current smokers in the USreporting that they want to quit, there is no excuse for not providingthem with the resources to do so."

"Tobacco cessation medications and counseling have been proveneffective at saving lives and at saving money in health costs," saidCongresswoman DeGette. "Public health experts recommend that all healthinsurance plans should cover smoking cessation programs with proveneffectiveness. This bipartisan legislation leads the way by providingcoverage for tobacco cessation through our two major public healthinsurance programs, Medicare and Medicaid."

"Reducing tobacco use will eventually save taxpayers millions ofdollars in Medicaid and Medicare expenditures for smoking-relatedhealth conditions," said Congressman Platts. "Addressing this issuehead-on will save lives, reduce the public health risks related tosecond-hand smoking and alleviate a major burden on our health caresystem."

Tobacco cessation medications and evidence-based counseling greatlyincrease the odds of quitting smoking successfully. Moreover, evidencefrom rigorous research shows that tobacco cessation treatment is highlycost-effective. Accordingly, the Institute of Medicine recommends thatall health insurance plans should cover effective smoking cessationprograms. However, these treatments are not currently available tomany tobacco users who are struggling to quit.

The companion bills provide Medicare and Medicaid coverage for tobaccocessation treatments with proven effectiveness. They also definetobacco cessation treatments and anti-tobacco health promotion messagesas part of quality services under the Maternal and Child HealthProgram—a step that is crucial for reducing tobacco use among pregnantwomen. The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association,the American Lung Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, andthe Partnership for Prevention support the bills.

Highlights of the bills include

Medicare Coverage:

• Extends coverage to include counseling for cessation of tobaccouse. Approved counselors include state-licensed practitioners,physicians and other Medicare providers (such as clinical socialworkers, nurse practitioners and psychologists).

• Defines non-prescription tobacco cessation agents as covereddrugs, if those drugs are prescribed by a doctor or other authorizedmedical professional.

• Requires all prescription drug plan sponsors to provide coveragefor tobacco cessation drugs approved by the FDA under Medicare'sprescription drug coverage.

Medicaid Coverage:

• Extends Medicaid coverage to include tobacco cessation counseling.

• Enables states to cover prescription drugs for tobacco cessationunder Medicaid by eliminating the exclusion that exists for tobaccocessation drugs that currently exists.

Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant:

• Enables states to provide and to assure mothers and children (inparticular those with low income or with limited availability of healthservices) access to tobacco cessation counseling, recommendationsregarding drugs and devices that can aid tobacco cessation and programsto stop tobacco use before it starts.