October 27, 2010 - The Center for Disease Control & Prevention warned that states may not be providing enough tobacco-cessation programs for Medicaid enrollees. Only eight states covered all recommended medications and at least one form of counseling for all enrollees (2009), according to researchers at the University of California Berkeley. The Medicaid population tends to have a higher smoking rate than the general population, and smoking-related medical costs account for about 11% of Medicaid spending. Advocates of tobacco cessation coverage argue that “Tobacco-dependence treatments are one of the few clinical preventive services shown to reduce cost” and thus should be implemented across the nation more comprehensively, especially among the Medicaid population.

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