Coverage of Smoking Cessation Drugs Causes Decrease in Smoking & 50% Reduction in Hospitalization for Heart Disease

OPEN MINDS Weekly News Wire Mental Health & Chemical Dependency Services When Massachusetts Medicaid (MassHealth) covered smoking cessation medications, smoking rates dropped by 10% and hospitalizations for heart disease dropped by half between July 1, 2006 and November 17, 2007. Before the benefit was available, smoking prevalence was estimated at 38.3% of the state population. During the first 30 months after the benefit became available, about 75,000 MassHealth subscribers, used the benefit. The prevalence of smoking declined to 28.8%. Hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction fell by 46%; admissions for other acute coronary and heart disease conditions . . .