September 23, 2011 - Connecticut has been selected to receive a five-year federal grant of up to $10 million to improve residents’ health and lower taxpayer’s costs by helping Medicaid patients quit smoking. The Medicaid Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Diseases grant program accepted Connecticut’s application for funding to help launch the iQuit program, which aims to reduce smoking rates among the 25-30% of state Medicaid beneficiaries who currently use tobacco. The program has a special focus on pregnant women, mothers of newborns, and individuals with mental illness. It will encourage both smokers and medical providers to participate in counseling and training sessions, peer coaching, and other smoking-cessation techniques. Financial incentives are used to encourage smokers to attend these sessions and to achieve objective, verifiable goals in reducing tobacco use. Additionally, the program will coordinate with the state’s restructured health care delivery system, which emphasizes a person-centered, medical home model of care.

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