Medicare improves smoking cessation coverage

The AMA declares federal coverage expansion a major public health victory.

By David Glendinning, AMNews staff. April 11, 2005.

Washington -- Physicians who long have clamored for more federal help in getting elderly patients to quit smoking are finally getting their wish.

Medicare will now cover smoking cessation counseling for beneficiaries who have tobacco-related diseases or are on drug regimens that are adversely affected by smoking. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates that roughly 4 million U.S. seniors fit this profile.

Eligible beneficiaries who smoke or use tobacco products will be covered for two attempts to quit per year, each consisting of up to four counseling sessions. Conditions that trigger coverage include heart disease, cancer and stroke, while the list of eligible drug treatments includes certain insulins and hypertensive medicines.

The agency's national coverage determination was applauded by members of the Partnership for Prevention, a coalition that formally requested the policy change nearly a year ago. The American Medical Association, one of the partnership's members, called the CMS move a big win for beneficiaries and their doctors.

"Medicare's final decision to pay for counseling to help seniors stop smoking is a public health victory," said AMA Trustee Ronald M. Davis, MD. "These counseling services target those who are suffering the most and have a strong potential for improved health."